The Different Journey
by Leoncrazy59
Summary: Ash Ketchum has always wanted to be a Pokemon trainer. Finally, at the age of 16, he is able to finally pursue this dream. Follow Ash as he goes through each region making friends, catching Pokemon, and actually accomplishing more than he did in the anime. Smarter Ash, darker Ash. Rewrite of the Pokemon Anime.
1. Beginning of a Journey

**Author's Note: A lot of people spend their time describing characters in their fan fiction. Honestly, I don't see why, considering the expected audience. Everyone reading a Pokemon fan fiction will know what the main characters look like. If I introduce some OC, or modify a canon character, I will describe them. Otherwise, use the canon appearance in your mind.**

**Also, I will be updating this every month, maybe more depending on how inspired I am.**

* * *

The Start of a New Journey

Ash Ketchum sat on his bed, eagerly watching the television. Colors flashed in rapid motions across the screen, showing off a battle that had taken place in the previous Indigo League. Two poison types clashed, throwing attack after attack at each other. The Nidorino snarled, attempting to impale Gengar. The Gengar continued to evade it's attacks, wearing a Cheshire grin as it played with the violent Nidorino. It was clear who controlled the ongoing conflict.

The camera zoomed to the trainer who controlled the Gengar.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis." The trainer called out. Before the opposing trainer could counter this, the ghost was already putting Nidorino into a deep slumber.

"Nidorino, return!" The opposing trainer called out, not wanting to let Gengar to heal what little damage it had taken using Dream Eater. "Go, Onix."

A massive rock snake coiled out, lashing at the Gengar almost immediately. The Gengar managed to jump to the side, it's massive grin unmoving.

Ash clenched his fists, knowing the battle was heating up. He already knew who the winner would be, having already seen other matches from the tournament, and knowing that this was one of the matches that had marked Bruno's ascension to the Elite Four. But even with that knowledge, Ash couldn't help but feel surprised and awed by the way Bruno battled, or how his Onix suddenly swept it's tail, knocking out the troublesome Gengar almost immediately.

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum, what are you doing up at this late hour." His mother demanded, having just appeared at the doorway to his bedroom.

"I can't sleep mom, I'm just so excited to be starting my Pokemon journey tomorrow." Ash replied, shivering in excitement from the simple statement.

"Well, if you are going to be staying up, you might as well watch something educational." She replied back, grabbing the remote to the TV. She changed the channel, changing the scene of a brutal knock-down fight between Pokemon into a lecture by Professor Oak.

"And don't you stay up past midnight. You'll need your sleep for your journey." And with that, Ash's mother left.

Ash sighed and settled in to watch the lecture. He could switch it back, but he was unwilling to go against his mothers wishes, having learned her massive temper to the point of non-resistance.

"The three Pokemon, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are the commonly offered starters in the Kanto Region. For trainers in Kanto who are starting tomorrow, these will be the Pokemon offered to them. Once-" Oak's voice was suddenly cut off when Ash shut off the T.V. Ash sighed and flopped down on the bed.

He was excited to be starting his journey tomorrow, having dreamed of the day when he was 16, and then once he had turned 16 dreamed of the day he could start out as a trainer. However, even through all that time and anticipation, he still couldn't make up his mind on which starter Pokemon he wanted.

Ash gradually fell asleep, but was still torn over which Pokemon he would choose. Whichever one he went with would have to be a good match for him, considering he would be stuck with that Pokemon for the rest of his, or it's life.

_Charmander's a powerhouse, but he's only good as an attacker_, Ash thought to himself in his sleep, seeing images of the fire lizard in his mind.

_Squirtle is a tank, and can hit hard from afar or up close. But it's slow_. Ash turned over, imagining the turtle withdrawing into it's shell, having seen this tactic in an older rerun of an Indigo League match.

_Bulbasaur is good for wearing down opponents by poisoning or paralyzing them, and then finishing them off with long distance moves. _Ash snored, seeing the Pokemon spew sludge and powder everywhere.

Ash's sleep was uneven the entire night, his mind in a constant state of semi-lucidity. This, combined with the fact that he had gone to bed around eleven led him to not hear his alarm clock go off, either the first, second or third time.

"Ash, are you still in bed?" Delia exclaimed, prompting Ash to suddenly shoot up in panic.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" Ash proclaimed, rushing to grab his stuff. "Mom, I'm going to go in my pajamas, I'll change later." Delia simply shook her head, watching as Ash ran out the door.

Ash stopped running when he reached the entrance to Professor Oak's lab. Glancing upward from his heavy breathing, he noticed a small crowd had formed out front, which were currently cheering. With a jolt, he realized that the crowd was there to cheer for Pallet's finest.

Ash looked on as a brunette woman exited the lab. She wore a wide-brimmed hat, covering part of her long hair. She was dressed in a simple outfit, a t-shirt and a skirt. She looked as if she had just stepped out from a modeling agency gig for trainer gear. Knowing Leaf, Ash knew that this was a possibility had Leaf ever been interested.

"You watch! I'm going to become a Pokemon master!" Leaf yelled at the top of her lungs, walking through the crowd with a pokeball in her hand. She glanced over at Ash for the briefest moment, and then turned away, a smirk on her face. In her eyes, he was beneath her.

Ever since they had been kids, Leaf and Ash had maintained a constant relationship. Leaf had been a bitch, and Ash had been her bitch. She had always looked great, performed well in almost any endeavor she pursued, and was not afraid to use it to crush people that she didn't like. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Ash was one of these people.

And it wasn't like there was much Ash could do. Leaf deployed veiled criticisms of him whenever they met publicly, and would perform more honest "critiques" in private. Due to her successes, and Ash's failures in almost anything he pursued, people tended to take her more seriously. Only Ash's mom truly knew what Leaf was like.

A cheer went through the crowd again as Gary stepped out, holding a pokeball high above his head.

"People of Pallet Town, with this Pokemon I shall put our town on the map. I'll be the next Pokemon Master, just you watch!" Gary said, making his way through the crowd to his car. Gary glanced over at Ash as he walked past, nodding in his direction.

"Good luck Ashie-boy." Gary said condescendingly. Ash clinched his fists. Ever since Gary had become smitten over Leaf, he had stopped being friendly with Ash. He wasn't as cruel as Leaf, but he wasn't nice, that was for sure. Ash watched as Gary revved his car's engine and sped off.

"Later Gare-bear." Ash muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Ash walked through the rapidly-dispersing crowd, thinking to himself.

_Gary has wanted a Squirtle for forever, so that won't be an option, unless Oak has a spare._ Ash pushed open the door to the lab. _Considering how rare Squirtle are, I doubt that._

"Hey Ash." An assistant to Professor Oak said, looking up from his paperwork.

"Hey." Ash said. "Where's Professor Oak?"

"The Professor is in the transfer room, talking with another beginning trainer." The assistant said, looking sympathetically at Ash. Instantly, Ash felt ten degrees colder.

_All the starter Pokemon will be gone..._

Ash suddenly ran into the room, trying to stop himself from panicking. This had been his chance, his opportunity to get out of Pallet, become a trainer, and show that he could be good at something. It had been his chance to get an actual friend. But by the sound of it, he wouldn't be getting any of this for another week or two. Waiting any longer seemed impossible for Ash to bear.

Ash burst into the room, surprising Oak and a blonde woman standing next to him. The blonde woman was strikingly pale, with long hair. She wore a plain black t-shirt that blended in with her black dress pants and black shoes. Somehow, she made it all fit, looking fine in it.

"Oh, hey Ash. I suppose you are here for your Pokemon." Oak said, scratching the back of his head, a deep feeling of sympathy crossing his face. _It really wasn't fair, _Oak thought to himself. If anything, Ash was the most excited about his journey. It was a shame he would have to wait another week or two.

"They are all gone, aren't they." Ash said. It was a statement of fact rather than a question. Oak nodded grimly.

"I'm afraid so." Oak said quietly, shifting awkwardly. He had wanted to save a Pokemon for Ash, since Ash had spent years helping out in his ranch watching over the Pokemon, but Oak was required to give a Pokemon to a starting trainer, and this woman had come first. And even though Oak had ordered another Pokemon in anticipation of the four trainers, there had been a mix-up in the delivery.

"Is there any spare Pokemon professor, any?" Ash asked desperately, struggling to control himself. The woman looked awkwardly, starting to feel guilty about having taken the Charmander, the last starter available.

"Well... there is one. But it's savage. I caught it chewing on some electrical wires outside the lab. It was one heck of a fight to catch it." Oak said before he could stop himself.

"I'll take it!" Ash said confidently. Oak sighed.

"Very well, but let's take it outside first. The technology in here is too expensive to risk." Oak said, handing Ash a pokeball that had been sitting on a table. They went outside, the woman still following Ash and Oak.

"It's a Pikachu." Oak said simply, waving his hand in a _go _motion. Ash understood the signal and sent Pikachu out.

Light unfolded out of the pokeball, shaping itself into a Pikachu. The Pikachu looked at Oak and Ash and started to growl.

"Oh, he's so cute." Ash said endearingly, picking up Pikachu.

"Uh, Ash-" Oak started to say when the Pikachu interrupted with a slight squeak. Oak's jaw dropped as Ash massaged behind the Pikachu's ears.

"You just needed someone to comfort you, didn't you Pikachu?" Ash said, continuing his petting of the electric mouse.

"Incredible, I was beginning to think that this Pikachu hated humans." Oak said to Ash, watching the boy take out a treat and feed it to the Pikachu. Oak recovered from the surprise and went back into his lab to grab a pokedex and pokeballs for Ash.

Ash continued to pet the Pikachu as Oak went back into the lab. He didn't notice the woman walking up to Ash until she spoke.

"Um, hello." She said, forcing out the words. Ash looked up at her.

"Hello. So you're starting out as a trainer too?" Ash asked. The woman nodded.

"I am." She said awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Ash immediately noticed that she was unwilling to respond in long sentences.

"Meowth got your tongue?" Ash joked. The woman blushed. "Just joking. So I take it you have a Charmander?"

"How did you know that?" The woman asked. Ash grinned.

"That other girl who came here for her Pokemon today. Her name is Leaf, and while she wasn't busy being a jerk she was going on about how the only proper starter Pokemon for her was a Bulbasaur, due to her name. Gary, that boy talked on and on about how he wanted a Squirtle since he was 7. I would know, we used to be friends." Ash explained. The woman frowned.

"It sounds like there's no love lost between you and them." She said questioningly.

"You might say that." Ash said. An awkward silence ensued until Professor Oak came back outside, holding some pokeballs and a pokedex.

"I'm sure you know what these are Ash, you've seen me give starting trainers the basic equipment before." Oak said, handing him the devices. Ash nodded and put the items in his backpack, to put on his utility belt later. It was then that Oak noticed that the woman was still there.

"Cynthia, what are you doing here still?" Oak asked, confused. Cynthia blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry, I was just talking with Ash while he was waiting here." Cynthia said. Oak nodded.

"I see. Well Ash, Cynthia, good luck. Especially you, Ash. I've made a bet with Leaf's mother that you'll go further than her in the next Indigo League." Oak said. Ash grinned.

"Sure thing Professor." Ash said. He turned around and started heading back home. Cynthia paused for a moment and followed after him.

"Hey Ash, wait up." Cynthia requested, walking up beside him. Ash looked at her curiously.

"Yes?" Ash asked her as he put the Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Would it be okay... if I went along with you for a bit?" Cynthia asked him. Ash smiled widely.

"Sure! The more the merrier." Ash said cheerfully.

The pair continued walking down the road, exchanging minute details about each other. Ash had lived in Pallet all his life. He had always dreamed of being a Pokemon Master, even though there wasn't really any official title of such. He had never been good at a lot of stuff, but knowledge about Pokemon was one of the things he was good at.

Cynthia had lived in Sinnoh most of her life. She had come to Kanto and was starting her journey there because her grandparents were archeologists, and had been involved in a massive dig for the past few years. The dig was a massive exploration of ancient tombs around Lavender Town, one that had no foreseeable end. Thus, Cynthia was starting out her Pokemon journey in Kanto. She had chosen Pallet Town and Professor Oak to start her journey because, in her own words, "My family and Professor Oak are old friends."

Eventually, the pair made it to Ash's house.

"You can come in, I'm sure my mom would like to meet you before we go off. I need to change out of my pajamas." Ash said, opening the door for her to come in. She stepped inside awkwardly, standing by the doorway while Ash went upstairs to his room to get dressed.

Cynthia looked around around at the interior. It was a small house, relying more on the vertical nature of it's structure rather than it's base area to provide space. There were few rooms, each small. Whatever family lived there was small, or was extremely crowded.

Some footsteps awoke Cynthia from her examinations. She looked to her left to see a strange woman standing there, surprised to see this random trainer in her house.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Delia asked politely. Cynthia blushed.

"I'm Cynthia, I'm going to be going along with Ash to get badges." Cynthia said awkwardly. "I'm sorry if I am intruding, Ash invited me in." Delia smiled broadly.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Delia said, giving Cynthia a big hug. Cynthia stood their awkwardly, wondering whether or not this was Kanto custom. Delia, sensing Cynthia's discomfort detached herself.

"Sorry, it's just that..." Delia suddenly trailed off with that thought. Cynthia raised an eyebrow in concern.

"Just what? I won't have to babysit him, will I?" Cynthia asked, having met people who still acted like babies despite being trainers. Her grandmother would often refer to them as "little shits who shouldn't have a Bidoof, let alone an Infernape." They had served as encouragement for Cynthia, leading her to want to become a far better trainer than they would ever be.

"No, no, nothing like that! It's just that... Ash has always wanted to do good. He's scared me half to death sometimes." Delia said, carefully phrasing her words.

"What do you mean?" Cynthia asked, her curiosity overcoming her shyness.

"Well, he's always been a bit of a risk-taker. Once, Tauros were stampeding at Professor Oak's lab." Delia began. Cynthia frowned, knowing that a Tauros stampede was extremely difficult to put down. "Oak was out at the time giving a lecture, and he's really the only person in town who could- and can put down a Tauros stampede. He was a really powerful trainer back in the day- did you know that?" Delia said. Cynthia nodded. He had been more than just powerful- he had been a legend, a powerhouse before the Kanto League ever took off, 50 years ago. Nobody was sure quite how powerful he was compared to modern standards, but rumors abounded.

"Anyway, we could hear it all the way over here. Nobody was sure what would happen; whether or not the Tauros would destroy the town, kill Pokemon at Oak's ranch, or tear down the forests nearby." Delia said. Her face twisted into a deep frown. "I couldn't find Ash at the time. Suddenly, the Tauros stopped. None of the local trainers who had gone there trying to calm them down had come back yet, and they weren't responding to any calls. I volunteered to see what happened." Cynthia slowly began to realize what would happen next, even if she didn't know how Ash had done it. What came next still shocked her, however.

"Ash was riding Professor Oak's Charizard, and had blasted apart every Tauros. Each one was knocked unconscious, their fur still burning. Ash was just laughing and petting the Charizard. The trainers in town hadn't even had time to form a posse to put down the Tauros stampede. When I called for him, he just got off the Charizard and walked over like it was nothing." Delia finished. She smiled faintly, unable to help herself. "I'm sure he's going to be a great trainer."

Cynthia looked at Delia, her face twisted in disbelief. Charizards were prideful, obscenely so. It took a skilled trainer to command them, but Ash had commanded the dragon without even having his own Pokemon.

"Um, Miss..." Cynthia started to say.

"It's Delia Ketchum, you can call me Delia." Delia said in response. Cynthia nodded.

"How old was Ash when he did this?" Cynthia asked carefully.

"He was 9, almost ten at the time." Delia replied. Before Cynthia could appear anymore slack-jawed, Ash ran down the stairs. He was dressed for traveling, wearing his Pokemon League cap, a plain shirt, a light jacket, and some jeans. He was hurriedly putting on his backpack while Pikachu sat on top of his hat, waiting for Ash's shoulder to be free.

"Ok, I'm ready. Later mom!" Ash said, taking Cynthia's hand and pulling her out the house so that they could leave. Delia chuckled at them as Ash ran forward, dragging a surprised Cynthia behind him.

"Don't forget to change your underwear!" Delia shouted after Ash. Ash nearly tripped in embarrassment, while Cynthia broke out laughing.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ash was stumbling forward, panting as Cynthia caught up to him, having been released from his grip earlier.

"Pacing." Cynthia reminded Ash. Ash glared at her.

"Yeah, yeah." Ash said, straightening up, whilst still breathing hard. Cynthia shook her head, but continued to walk with him. Normally, Cynthia would have abandoned him a long while back, choosing to take a separate path, but she was still intrigued by this trainer.

"Hey Ash, why do you have your Pikachu on your shoulder?" Cynthia asked, no longer nervous around her fellow trainer. Ash looked over at her, grinning.

"He doesn't like pokeballs." Ash said simply, giving Pikachu a brief pat on the head.

"_Cha!_" Pikachu said, rubbing it's head against Ash's hand briefly. Cynthia smiled at the two of them, and then a thought occurred to her.

"Hey Ash, how did you know that?" Cynthia said in response. Ash opened his mouth to answer that, when he spotted a Pokemon.

"Look, a Rattata." Ash pointed out, motioning to the purple rat. "Pikachu, use Thundershock." Pikachu just looked at Ash as if he was an idiot. Ash twisted his head to look at the unmoving mouse on his shoulder.

"You don't want to battle for me, at least not yet, do you Pikachu?" Ash said. Pikachu nodded. Ash scratched his head, while Cynthia looked on in disbelief. "Ok, if you don't want to battle for me, I'll just prove myself to you." Cynthia's jaw practically hit the ground at that point. Most trainers never had this big a problem with starter Pokemon.

"Ash... how are you going to battle without a willing Pokemon?" Cynthia asked Ash.

"I'm not." Ash responded.

"So how are you going to battle and challenge the Pokemon League?" Cynthia said. Ash smiled.

"I'll just ask a wild Pokemon if it wants to come along with me." Ash told her. Cynthia's jaw suddenly clenched, and she found herself yelling at him.

"How the heck do you think you are going to be a trainer without capturing strong Pokemon? Don't you know the stronger ones won't fight for you unless you capture them?" Cynthia nearly shouted, causing Ash to step back, scared by the sudden outburst. She hadn't been this loud earlier, that was for sure. Pikachu's cheeks sparked threateningly at the outburst.

"I'm sure that any Pokemon can become strong." Ash said in response, a little angry now. "Besides, I don't want a Pokemon battling for me unless it wants to come along. The only reason why I wanted Pikachu to battle the Rattata was to see how strong Pikachu is. If you don't like that, I'm not making you travel with me." Cynthia, in response could only shake her head in frustration at Ash's remarks. This would have been enough for her to ditch Ash, was it not for the fact that she still wanted to know how Ash was able to command a Charizard so easily.

They walked on for a few minutes, silent, and annoyed at the other. Then, Cynthia suddenly stopped.

"A Spearow." Cynthia pointed out to Ash as she sent out Charmander. "And it's a large one too, I'm going to catch it."

"Cynthia, I wouldn't do that here. Anywhere else, but not near Pallet Town." Ash said worriedly. Pikachu nodded in agreement. Both were well aware of the reputation of the Spearow flock that frequented the area.

"Why? Should I ask politely first?" Cynthia said sarcastically. "Charmander, attack with Scratch."

The Charmander ran forward and started scratching the Spearow violently. The Spearow was first surprised by the sudden assault, and didn't react at the Charmander attacking. Suddenly, the Spearow's beak was surrounded by a black aura and struck the Charmander, sending it flying back toward Cynthia. The Charmander got up, somewhat injured. Ash started to tense up, as did Pikachu.

"You don't realize what you just did." Ash said, scared. The Spearow started screaming. Around them, dozens of dark shapes flew up from grass and trees, and into the sky. Like homing missiles, they started to fly toward the group. Cynthia went wide-eyed at the sight.

"Come on, we have to run." Ash told Cynthia. She shook herself out of the reverie, and upon returning her Charmander started sprinting after Ash and Pikachu.

For a few seconds, it seemed like they might escape the flock as it descended to where they had previously been. That illusion was dispelled at the flock redirected itself at the fleeing group.

"We can't outrun it Ash." Cynthia said, struggling to get air into her lungs as she ran as fast as she could. Ash nodded the best he could, checking what was in front of the path they were taking. He noticed the river they ran beside.

"Pikachu, get in my arms." Ash instructed. Pikachu hesitated for a second, and was scooped up by Ash. "Cynthia, leap into the river." Ash took a large breath and leaped into the water. Cynthia hesitated for a second, but upon hearing the Spearow getting closer jumped in after Ash.

Cynthia and Ash were tossed around by the current of the river, the water being stronger than they anticipated. Cynthia grabbed onto Ash's leg as she passed by him, trying to gain some kind of stability to hold onto in the water. They were suddenly pulled out of the water violently. Cynthia looked over and saw a red-headed woman holding a fishing rod, with the hook-end currently stuck on the pant leg of Ash's jeans.

"Oh, it's only two trainers." The red-headed woman lamented. She suddenly noticed the Pikachu in Ash's arms. "Are you alright?" She asked in concern, bending over to look at Pikachu.

"No." Ash responded instinctively.

"No, not you, your Pokemon!" She exclaimed, seeing how the mouse was breathing hard. Ash frowned, and got up, wobbly from being thrown around.

"He'll be fine, he's a strong one." Ash said, standing up. He glanced over at Cynthia.

"Cynthia, are you alright?" Ash asked her. Cynthia took a second to get some precious air, and spoke.

"I think I'll be fine." She stated, getting up slowly, and frowning at the state of her clothing. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for her to be wearing her dress pants.

"Good to hear." Ash responded while his Pikachu shook the water out of it's fur. Both Cynthia and Ash froze as they heard familiar squawking. They looked at the direction where they had come from, and saw the Spearow approaching them still.

"Uh oh." Ash said. He looked around and spotted a bike.

"I need to borrow this." Ash said suddenly, getting on it, and putting Pikachu in the front basket. Cynthia got on the back of the seat awkwardly, nearly being thrown off as Ash pedaled harder.

"Hey, that's my bike! Give me back my bike." The woman yelled angrily. She stopped yelling as she noticed the flock of Spearow passing overhead, going toward the trio.

Ash pedaled as hard as he could, but it seemed to be an uphill battle. With the two of them and Pikachu on the bike, they were only going slightly faster than they would be running. And judging from the angry Spearow calling after them, that wasn't fast enough.

Ash breathed hard, knowing they needed a plan. He spotted a grove of trees, and suddenly went off the path, flinching as he felt Cynthia fall off the bike. Ash stopped to dismount.

"What the fuck Ash!" Cynthia yelled angrily at him. Ash ignored the curse, pointing to the trees.

"There's a bunch of trees over there. They are tightly packed enough that only a few Spearow can attack us at a time. Hopefully we can bother them enough there so that they leave us alone." Ash explained to her. Both of them knew that this was probably unlikely at this point. But it really was their only shot.

"Ok, let's hope so." Cynthia said, as she followed Ash to the spot. The Spearow were nearly upon them by the time they got into the grove of trees. Ash grabbed a pokeball, and to Cynthia's instant rage offered it to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, I know you don't like your pokeball, but if you get in it you'll be safe in there." Ash said grimly, putting down the device and picking up a rock. Pikachu looked in shock at Ash, surprised at the selfless attitude that he was showing Pikachu. Pikachu looked at the pokeball, and then at Ash.

"Ash, are you fucking kidding me? You should at least be trying to get Pikachu to protect us. We'll die without our Pokemon." Cynthia stated angrily, sending out her injured Charmander. Ash reacted angrily.

"Cynthia, I'm not letting anyone die for me. And you shouldn't either. Your Charmander is too inexperienced and injured to fight the Spearow. Please return it!" Ash said, both angry, and scared for the young Charmander.

"I can't believe your giving up!" Cynthia said, as she turned to her Charmander. "Charmander, use Growl, and if they get near us, use Scratch." The Charmander shifted uneasily, but having been taught to be obedient started snarling angrily at the Spearow in a futile attempt to intimidate them. Ash winced at Cynthia's actions. He jumped as he heard thunder boom across the sky. It was starting to rain. The Spearow started to fly down, targeting the Charmander first.

"No!" Ash yelled, throwing a rock at the Spearow futilely as they used their Faint Attack on the lizard. The rock bounced off of a Spearow, doing almost no damage. He dropped to his knees as he heard screams emanating from the pile, and then, silence. Cynthia, upon witnessing this, fell to her knees. She had just killed her first Pokemon. And it hadn't bought them anything but a few more seconds of life.

A flash of electricity suddenly hit the pile of Spearow that had been attacking Charmander, knocking them all unconscious. Ash looked over at Pikachu in shock, which had obviously not gone back into it's pokeball.

"Pikachu, please get in your pokeball. I don't want you to die like Charmander did." Cynthia screamed, having realized her recalcitrance too late. Pikachu shook it's head grimly, and leaped into the sky. Pikachu, knowing that his trainer was willing to die for it, was not willing to allow this to happen. The mouse could feel the electricity in the storm. Acting instinctively, it released a large shock. A lightning bolt descended down, hitting Pikachu. The small electric mouse released the power, unable to contain it all. The air around Pikachu, and subsequently, the Spearow, was filled with electricity that Pikachu put out.

Ash watched this in shock. One second, Pikachu was surrounded by a blast of electricity- the next, Pikachu fell back to the ground. Ash caught Pikachu as he fell.

"Pikachu..." Ash said, emotionally shocked by the literal shocking his Pikachu had just performed.

"_Pikapi..._" Pikachu responded weakly. Despite Pikachu having manipulated the electricity expertly, it had still been burned from the lighting bolt.

"Of course... you gave Professor Oak trouble catching you, no wonder you were able to take out all those Spearow. I'm sorry that you got injured for me." Ash said, crying. Pikachu just gave off a small _cha. _Ash looked over at Cynthia, who had torn away the unconscious Spearow from Charmander. A flash of cold went through Ash's body upon seeing what was left of Charmander.

"You were right Ash. I'm so sorry Charma..." Cynthia fell to her knees and started to sob. Ash wanted to fall down and cry as well, but he knew what had to be done.

"Cynthia, we need to go." Ash said, trying to get Cynthia's attention. "Cynthia, Pikachu is hurt, and we don't know how long these Spearow will be out for." Ash felt sick, tearing Cynthia away from Charmander's remains, but they needed to go quickly.

Cynthia got up, feeling even more sick than Ash. She had failed as a trainer, as a decent human being. Her pride, her sickening amount of confidence, her selfishness had gotten Charmander dismembered. Barely comprehending what she was doing, she took a towel out from her backpack and, in a macabre fashion, started to put the bloody remains in a towel. Ash retched at the sight, and suddenly knocked the towel out of Cynthia's hands. He expected Cynthia to react angrily, or even hit him, but what happened was even more jarring.

"I'm a failure, aren't I?" Cynthia asked, hollowly. Her hands were covered in blood from the Charmander. Ash flinched at the sight, knowing that the fiery blood of the fire lizard would cause a rash for Cynthia later, and also knowing that the rash would be nothing compared to what Cynthia was responsible for.

Blood was on Cynthia's hands in every sense of the word.


	2. From Viridian to the Viridian Forest

**Authors Note: Hey look, a chapter update! Thanks for the support guys. Feel free to send me PMs suggesting what Pokemon Ash should get, as long as it's not Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite, Vulpix, Eevee, Arcanine, or Scizor. I either plan to give him some of these Pokemon or simply won't give him aforementioned Pokemon. And sorry if you don't like all the time-skips I have in this chapter. I just don't feel like writing EVERY SINGLE LITTLE detail from the anime. I aim to improve from the anime, not just copy it with the addition of a new Pokemon every once in awhile.**

* * *

Convincing Officer Jenny had been the hard part. Luckily, Cynthia and Ash had been able to convince her that they were not in fact Pokemon thieves, and with some difficulty told her about what happened to Cynthia's Charmander. Taking pity on the two, she drove them to the Pokemon Center, where they were able to get Pikachu some medical attention.

Now, the two sat in the lobby of Pokemon Center, waiting for news on Pikachu. Ash was fidgety and unable to sit still, while Cynthia just sat there, unmoving, thinking. Finally, she turned to Ash.

"Ash?" Cynthia prompted him. He turned around to face her, his face neutral.

"Yah Cynthia?" Ash asked her, putting a small smile on his face.

"Do you blame me for Charmander's death?" Cynthia asked him frankly, removing the smile from Ash's face. Ash sat still for the first time, not saying anything for a few seconds, apparently gathering his thoughts. He finally spoke.

"Yes, of course. You could have saved Charmander by returning him to his pokeball or not sending him to attack the Spearow." Ash said bluntly. Noticing the tears that began to roll down her face again, he spoke again. "But I can't hold it against you. No one just starting out should have to go through that. If you want to get another Pokemon, I'll vouch for you to Professor Oak." Cynthia shook her head in response.

"I'm not sure if I feel confident enough to get another Pokemon. What if I get in a situation like that again and my Pokemon dies?" Cynthia said, looking at her hands. They were clean, having been washed by Cynthia the first moment she could, but were swollen and red. The nurse had reassured her that the swelling would go down by the morning, but until then they kept pulsing with a steady, low pain, a constant reminder of her Charmander.

Ash had no response to Cynthia. He could have tried to reassure her, but he realized that what Cynthia was feeling was pure, raw guilt. With a jolt, he realized that Cynthia cared about Pokemon as much as he did. He suddenly reached over and embraced her, trying to reassure her the way his mom would always do at home.

"Ash, what are-" Cynthia started to say, blushing, when Ash interrupted her.

"I'm sorry about your Charmander, Cynthia." Ash said sadly, releasing her. Cynthia was blushing, unable to say anything. Ash, not realizing her embarrassment spoke again.

"I'm going to call my mom." Ash said, getting up and heading over to the phone booth. He dialed home, and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello, Ketchum residence." His mom said cheerfully.

"Hey mom, it's me." Ash said. He suddenly heard some scurrying, followed by Delia's face appearing on the screen.

"Hello honey, where are you calling from?" She said, even more cheerful now. Ash couldn't help but smile.

"I'm at the Viridian City Pokemon Center, where else would I be calling from?" Ash said to her. Impossibly, she smiled widely.

"You reached Viridian City already? How did you get there so fast, it took your father-" She suddenly went quiet, as did Ash. A deep frown appeared over both their faces over the small slip-up until Delia spoke up again.

"So, how did you get there so fast?" Delia said, a small smile returning to her face. Ash smiled the best he could.

"I kind of took a shortcut using a river." Ash said. He proceeded to tell his mom everything that happened so far, even the part where he and Cynthia seemed likely to die. She put her hands to her mouth in horror, a clear and visible shiver going through her body.

"Ash, how do you always end up playing hero?" She demanded, showing more exasperation than anger. Ash rubbed the back of his head.

"Bad luck, I guess." Ash said truthfully. She just shook her head in response.

"So how is that young girl you're with, Cynthia doing?" Delia asked Ash, changing the subject temporarily. She didn't want to dwell on the subject, or on the likely fact that stuff like this would continue to happen for Ash.

"I don't know mom, she just lost her first Pokemon. I told her that I could convince Professor Oak to give her another, but she's taking the loss too hard. What do you think I could do?" Ash said. His mom looked thoughtful.

"Have you tried doing anything else. Talking with her, telling her it's not her fault?" She asked him.

"But it was her fault, wasn't it?" Ash asked her thoughtlessly. He noticed the stern, fearsome expression that appeared on her face. "Um, I tried hugging her, like you do whenever I'm hurt." He offered. Suddenly, her face went back to thoughtful. She started muttering to herself.

"He hugged her... Is he taking advantage of her? No, this is my son I'm talking about. But maybe she might feel attracted to him, and can teach him about relationships. Maybe I can actually have grandchildren in a few years!" Delia finished excitedly. Ash looked worriedly at his mom.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Ash asked her.

"Oh, nothing honey. Why don't you ask Cynthia to stick around with you for a bit, even if she doesn't have a Pokemon? That way she can still travel around and have fun like most kids her age on a journey." Delia offered to Ash. He paused for a second, and smiled.

"Great idea mom, I'm sure traveling will cheer her up. It would cheer me up!" Ash said excitedly, like a little kid who just found out they were getting a Growlithe puppy.

"Great honey. Now make sure to change your underwear, and I love you ." Delia said, hanging up before Ash could reply to the underwear comment. He heard giggling and saw Cynthia sitting at the seat, having heard everything.

"What's so funny?" Ash demanded, now embarrassed. Cynthia smirked.

"Nothing, just that your mom has to remind you to change your underwear." Cynthia said toyingly, her mind off of the subject of her dead Charmander, at least for the time. Ash blushed.

"She doesn't, she just does that." Ash said, pouting. Cynthia smiled wider.

"My answer is yes." Cynthia said. She cut off Ash before he could ask. "I'll travel with you for awhile. I have a long walk ahead of me anyway, I might as well stick with someone who has a Pokemon." Her mind went back to the memory of her dead Charmander, before she tried her best to brush it away. _It probably wasn't best_, she thought, _to dwell on that._

"Great! Hey, I'm going to call Professor Oak and tell him what happened. Are you sure you don't want another Pokemon? I'm sure you could take care of it pretty well." Ash asked her. Cynthia shook her head.

"No, I'm not sure I want another one right now." Cynthia told Ash. Ash turned around, worried for Cynthia but smiled again when Professor Oak answered, facing the opposite direction of the camera.

"Hello, who is this?" Professor Oak asked.

"It's Ash, professor. Why are you facing away from the camera?" Ash said. Oak scrambled for a second to change cameras.

"Oops, sorry, wrong camera. So Ash, how is your journey going so far. I notice that you already reached Viridian City. That's quite the achievement for someone who doesn't have a car like Gary does. You must be ahead of everyone else right now" Professor Oak said to him. Ash took note of having reached Viridian City before Leaf did, took a brief moment of satisfaction in it, and then spoke again.

"Um, about that Professor. Do you know that flock of Spearow that's been hanging around between Pallet and Viridian?" Ash asked him. He nodded.

"Yes, I suppose they gave you trouble?" Professor Oak asked him, concerned. Ash gulped and nodded.

"You could say that." Ash said. He proceeded to once again tell the story of Cynthia and his hectic trip to Viridian. By the end of it, Professor Oak was frowning deeply.

"So you say that Cynthia shows genuine regret?" Oak asked.

"She's taking it pretty hard, at least. She doesn't even want another Pokemon." Ash said. Oak rubbed his chin.

"I'm going to have to do something about that Spearow flock." Oak said to no one in particular. "By the way Ash, have you checked your Pokedex for what moves that Pikachu has? It only used electrical attacks on my Dragonite, and I never bothered to check it's movepool. But if what you are telling me about your Pikachu absorbing the lightning bolt is true, then it's certainly experienced. If it wasn't, the lightning bolt would have fried your Pikachu."

"No, I never thought to." Ash said sheepishly. He pulled out his Pokedex, and scanned Pikachu's empty pokeball with it.

"_The Pokemon that goes in this pokeball is a Pikachu, __male__. Genetic records within this pokeball indicates good health. The genetic record further indicates that this Pikachu knows the following moves: __Swift, Surf, Fly, Sing, Teeter Dance, Extremespeed, Thunderbolt, Volt Tackle, Signal Beam, Iron Tail, Light Screen, Agility, Thunder Wave, Electro ball, Double Team, Discharge. __Observed records indicate that this is an unusual movepool, and it is recommended that this be shared with a regional professor._" The Pokedex chimed. Ash, Professor Oak, and Cynthia, the latter of which was still listening in on Ash were all slack-jawed.

"Um... Professor? I think I need a new Pokedex, this one is broken." Ash finally said. Professor Oak shook his head.

"I'm wishing that I had examined that Pikachu before you left and given you a Nidoran instead. No, your Pokedex isn't broken, I personally examined it for you before you left. And there's no way the pokeball's record is compromised, otherwise Pikachu would have been missing important body parts when I first sent it out back at the lab." Professor Oak said, composing himself. "You have a unique Pikachu there, Ash Ketchum. Treat it well."

Ash smiled and corrected his hat in a cocky manner. "No need to tell me that professor, I'll take great care of it."

"Ok, take care Ash. By the way, is Cynthia there?" Oak asked.

"Yes Professor, I'm here and I can hear you." Cynthia said, raising her voice so that Oak could hear.

"Cynthia, don't beat yourself up too hard over this. It's good that you feel bad over this, but we all make mistakes. Some situations just have greater consequences." Oak concluded, hanging up.

"Hey Ash, I know you are concerned about your Pikachu, but I think we better get some rest. Staying up too long won't fix anything." Cynthia told Ash. Ash was about to respond to this when a storm burst into the Pokemon Center.

"Aha!" A redhead exclaimed, holding a bike that had been savaged by a flock of Spearow. "You two destroyed my bike, now pay up!" Ash and Cynthia suddenly thought back to the bike. They had gone to it after Pikachu had defeated the Spearow, only to find that the Spearow had savaged the thing. Ash held up his hands in a mock surrender gesture.

"I'm sorry that we took your bike, but we really needed it." Ash said. A vein twitched on Misty's head.

"What could be important enough to steal a bike over?" Misty yelled angrily. Cynthia shrank back in fear, unwilling to respond to the angry redhead. Ash, noticing this got angry.

"We got attacked by the only flock of Spearow in all of Kanto, her first Pokemon died, and my Pikachu got injured absorbing lightning to protect us, and all you care about is your bike." Ash lectured, stepping boldly up to Misty. Her expression softened.

"Oh." Misty responded. They stood there for a short time, before Misty spoke again. "Will your Pikachu be alright?"

"I don't know." Ash said, his demeanor changing from angry to worried. "Pikachu seemed kind of hurt when this happened. Hopefully Nurse Joy will be able to heal any injuries that he got."

On cue, Nurse Joy walked back into the lobby, out of critical care. Ash turned around, and was relieved to see her smiling.

"Good news Mr. Ketchum. Your Pikachu just has minor electrical burns. I would have told you sooner, but I was busy treating another Pokemon. I recommend letting your Pikachu rest for the night, but he should be good as new and able to battle tomorrow." Nurse Joy told him, having Chansey bring out Pikachu, who was sleeping on a hospital bed.

"Thanks Nurse Joy!" Ash said excitedly. "I can't wait to test out the moves Pikachu has." Before Misty could ask Ash what he meant by that, an emergency siren started ringing.

"Attention all Viridian City citizens, we have spotted a hot air balloon that is believed to belong to a pair of thieves from Team Rocket. All citizens, please stay in your houses until further notice." Officer Jenny said, her voice permeating throughout the community. That was when the doors flew open at the Pokemon Center, and smoke poured in. Ash, Cynthia, and Misty were suddenly bent over, coughing from the heavy Smokescreen. Suddenly, two people started speaking.

_Prepare for trouble_

_And make it double!_

_To protect the world from devastation_

_To unite all peoples within our nation_

_To denounce the evils of truth and love_

_To extend our reach to the stars above!_

_Jesse!_

_James!_

_Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light_

_Surrender now or prepare to fight!_

The smoke cleared, to reveal a couple dressed in a white Rocket uniform. A Meowth back-flipped over them, landing on it's hind-legs in front of them.

"_Meowth_ that's right." The Meowth said. Ash gawked at the Meowth, stars in his eyes.

"It's a Pokemon that can talk! Even Psychic type Pokemon can usually only use telepathy to speak to humans. I bet you must be really smart." Ash said. Meowth grinned and held up it's chin proudly.

"You could say that I'm definitely the top cat, that's for sure." Meowth boasted.

"Yah, I bet you could make thousands of dollars translating what Pokemon say. I hear a lot of people don't like telepathic translators." Ash said, excited still, and forgetting that the three were probably the thieves. Jesse, James, and Meowth stopped for a second, and looked at each other.

"I could make thousands..." Meowth said.

"I could be your personal agent..." James said.

"And I could be... I don't know, but we'll stick together, right?" Jesse said threateningly. Meowth and James nodded quickly, unwilling to invoke the anger of the redhead. In the meantime, Cynthia had crept away with Nurse Joy to send every Pokemon in a pokeball to the Pewter City Pokemon Center, and Misty was simply dumbfounded, watching Ash converse with the trio.

"We might have to take that kind of opportunity twerp... after we steal all the Pokemon in the Pokemon Center." Meowth said, pointing his finger forward, only to notice that two less people were there.

"Hey Jesse, James." Meowth prompted. "Wasn't there a nurse and a blonde twerp over there?"

"He fooled us!" Jesse said angrily, sending her Ekans at Ash. James did the same with his Koffing. Before they could reach him however, both were sent flying back when a bright stream of stars flew through the air, having come from Pikachu.

"Awesome Pikachu, that was really powerful!" Ash said, smiling. He picked up Pikachu and hugged him, Pikachu grinning in pride. Jesse, James, and Meowth got up quickly, having been knocked back by Ekans and Koffing flying through the air.

"Kid, don't think you'll get away with that." Jesse said angrily.

"Indeed. There are five of us and only two of you." James finished. Ash smiled at that comment.

"It's a good thing my Pikachu knows the perfect move for a group. Pikachu, use Surf!" Ash said. Pikachu leaped out of Ash's arms. As it's paws touched the ground, a large wave of water surged from the floor, and hit all five of them. The water flowed in a singular current, sending them flying out of the Pokemon Center, where they all landed in front of several police cars that had parked out in front.

"Thanks again Pikachu. We just saved the Pokemon Center." Ash said, picking up Pikachu and putting it on his shoulder. Misty looked on in shock at what Pikachu had just done. Cynthia and Nurse Joy walked back into the lobby, having just finished sending every Pokemon to Pewter City, only to find Ash and Pikachu in the middle of a flooded lobby area.

"What happened here?" Nurse Joy asked in shock. "Where's the water Pokemon that did this?"

"My sentiments exactly." An Officer Jenny said, walking inside as police rounded up Team Rocket outside. Ash sighed; it looked like this would be the second time tonight that he would have to talk to the police.

* * *

The next morning, Ash and Cynthia had left the Pokemon Center, and entered the Viridian Forest. Ash had received thanks from Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, the first for leaving a flooded lobby as the worst thing to happen that night, and the latter for helping to apprehend Team Rocket. The two were given rooms to rest in for the night, and left in mid-morning after being treated to breakfast by the Pokemon Center.

The forest was ominous, with trees blocking a lot of sunlight. Occasionally, a rustle could be heard, which was due to random bug Pokemon. Wherever sunlight did poke through the trees, the grass grew thick and tall, both acting as a hiding spot for Pokemon and a hindrance to travel. Ash and Cynthia could see why this was one of the first great hurdles for a Pokemon trainer who received their starter from Professor Oak.

Of course, Ash and Cynthia would have welcomed this hurdle happily, was it not for Misty following them.

"All these bugs bug me!" Misty yelled, ducking fearfully as something with wings flew by her head. Ash and Cynthia looked back, unamused.

"If you didn't want to go here, you shouldn't have followed us. I gave you the contact information for my mom." Ash said, annoyed by the constant yelling. "Besides, bug Pokemon are nothing to be afraid of."

"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook so easily, even if you had a good reason! I'm following you until I see a bike in front of me." Misty yelled, now in the direction of Ash. Cynthia just shook her head and readjusted the straps on her backpack.

"Fine, but could you please stop yelling? You're giving me a headache." Ash said, Pikachu clutching it's head in agreement.

"I'll give you a headache alright." Misty said, pulling a mallet out of nowhere. Ash looked at it apprehensively, when Cynthia broke her silence.

"I don't want to even know where you keep that." Cynthia told her mockingly. She looked angrily at Cynthia, and seemed about to hit her upside the head when she screamed again.

"BUGS!" Misty yelled, pointing one direction and backing herself away the other direction. Ash looked to where Misty was pointing, and found a Weedle and a Caterpie looking at the group curiously. Ignoring Misty's antics, Ash went over to the pair.

"Strange, normally Caterpie and Weedle don't live together, since Beedrill and Butterfree hunt each other." Cynthia said curiously, also going over to the pair.

Ash laid down and started to worm his way to the two, leading Cynthia to giggle at his antics and Misty to look at him as if he was stupid. The two bug Pokemon looked at him, amused.

"Hey you two, my name's Ash and I'm going to become a Pokemon Master. Do you two want to come with me? I'll take care and feed both of you, and we can be friends. I can train you both to be the best. What do you say?" Ash said. The two looked at each other before shrugging and going to Ash.

"Awesome, thanks." Ash said, pulling out two pokeballs. He tapped both of them briefly, where they were captured without a struggle. He held both of the pokeballs above his head.

"Alright, I captured Weedle and Caterpie." Ash said, trying to make a cool pose. Cynthia continued to giggle at his antics, while Misty continued to look at him as if he was stupid.

"Ok Pikachu, let's welcome two new members to our family." Ash said, flashing a devious grin intended for Misty. She noticed this and started to back away.

"You wouldn't..." Misty said as Ash walked closer to her, both pokeballs in hand.

"Weedle, Caterpie, come out." Ash said, sending both bugs out in front of him and Misty. She shrieked and backed farther away from Ash. "Hey Pikachu, can you introduce me to them. Make sure to mention how cool I am." Pikachu nodded and jumped down from his shoulder.

"_Welcome to the group._" Pikachu said to Caterpie and Weedle. Ash stood to the side, watching them since he was unable to understand what they were saying.

"_Hello. Is this trainer really as good as he says?_" Weedle asked politely. Pikachu nodded.

"_He's not that smart, but he's taken really good care of me so far, and he cares about others."_ Pikachu said, half derisively and half in admiration.

"_I'm just glad we don't have to live in the forest anymore. A Bug Catcher released us both after he decided that he didn't want us anymore, and left us in the middle of nowhere, after he had taken us away from our families already. __We've been hiding from bird Pokemon for the past few days.__"_ Caterpie said in response.

"_I'm glad that we don't have to eat one another, __like we would in the wild__." _Weedle said. Caterpie looked at Weedle with tears in it's eyes, and Weedle gained the same tears.

"_Brother..." _Caterpie said softly, his voice laden with emotion.

"_Brother..." _Weedle said in response. They both started crying and tackled each other, hugging the other the best they could when they had no hands.

"Caterpie, Weedle, are you alright?" Ash said concerned, pulling them apart and stroking their backs, trying to calm them down. This only made them cry more.

"_Brother!" _They both exclaimed, leaping into Ash's chest and sobbing into it, Weedle being careful not to accidentally impale Ash with it's head-spike.

"They seem awfully affectionate." Cynthia said, a particularly large sweat-drop appearing on her forehead.

The group continued on from there, Weedle and Caterpie opting to stay outside their pokeball for the time being. Soon, a familiar pattern formed. Ash and Pikachu lead on first, Pikachu on the trainer's shoulder and Ash looking at the map as they walked. Weedle and Caterpie walked after them, occasionally ducking when they heard the flapping of bird Pokemon, and crying again when Pikachu reassured them that he'd shock any bird that tried to harm them. Cynthia walked behind this tearful parade, with Misty walking a few meters behind Cynthia, occasionally grumbling about bug Pokemon. After a few hours, the group was still in the Viridian Forest, and the sky was darkening.

"Hey guys, we should probably set up camp." Cynthia said, noticing the sunset. "There's a clearing over there that looks pretty safe, and since it's a clear night we can sleep without a tent."

"Let's just hope we don't have any bugs disturb us." Misty grumbled, drawing poisonous looks from Ash and Cynthia, and tears of sadness from Caterpie and Weedle. They both suddenly leaped off the ground and into their pokeballs, returning.

"Misty, look what you've done now. Their feelings are hurt." Ash said, sending them out again. "You two, don't listen to her. She's just jealous because she wants to fire silk out of her mouth, like you two do."

"_Brother, do you mean this?" _Weedle asked, looking at Misty and then back to Misty. Ash was able to guess vaguely what Weedle said.

"Yeah, she's just jealous, no matter what she says otherwise. She just can't bring herself to admit it." Ash said.

"As if!" Misty yelled at Ash and the Pokemon. Ash shook his head in mock disappointment.

"See, more jealousy. It gets her blood boiling that she can't shoot string out of her mouth." Ash told the two. They both started to cry.

"_Brother, she lives such a sad life, being unable to shoot silk."_ Caterpie said.

"_Brother!"_

"_Brother!"_

"_Oh brother." _Pikachu said, watching the scene as it unfolded.

Soon, they had their sleeping bags set up, and Cynthia lit the group a fire upon finding out that both had no idea how to do so and that Ash planned on using Pikachu to do it. All three of the humans fell asleep, while Caterpie and Weedle were still up, standing on a tree stump and looking at the moon.

"_What's wrong, you two?"_ Pikachu asked them, climbing up on the stump with them. Caterpie sighed and spoke, without tears.

"_I want to be a Butterfree, and soar the skies. But I do not want to leave my friend on the ground after me."_ Caterpie answered, looking at Weedle.

"_And I don't want to be alone, yet I don't want to hinder my friend's dreams."_ Weedle said, he too without tears.

"_Why don't you both evolve?"_ Pikachu asked them. Weedle looked insulted at the suggestion.

"_I would never evolve, I value being able to create silk too much. If I evolved into a Beedrill, I wouldn't be able to produce as much silk."_ Weedle told Pikachu. _"Besides, I don't need to evolve. __While Caterpie will only look better and better, I would look uglier and uglier."_

"_You do know that since you both are trainer Pokemon now, you won't have to worry about that "__flying off" issue__. Especially since Ash probably won't make us evolve if we don't want to." _Pikachu said, amused. The two look struck at the suggestion. Pikachu just chuckled at their expression. Finally, Weedle spoke up.

"_Thank you, wise Pikachu. I will set up a web around our campsite to make sure that birds do not take us away at night."_ Weedle said, suddenly shooting thick strings of silk through the campsite, connecting them all to a center point that Weedle rested itself on. If the campsite was approached, even from the sky, Weedle would know about it.

"_Yes, thank you wise Pikachu." _Caterpie said, curling itself against a sleeping bag. _"I can't wait to fly."_

"_Why wait." _Pikachu said. Before Caterpie could react, Pikachu put Caterpie on his shoulder and suddenly took off using Fly, rushing through the silk threads and into the sky.

"_Pikachu can use Fly?" _Caterpie asked in shock as they went through the night sky, it's head raised up so that it could experience the air rushing around it, it's body tied around Pikachu's using String Shot. Pikachu chuckled.

"_No, just me."_ Pikachu said in response. They flew higher, as the moon shown down on them and the campsite grew smaller.

"_Congratulations brother."_ Weedle said, lazily replacing the silk threads and keeping in mind that the two would be traveling back into the clearing later.

The night passed, and soon the sun rose. The forest awoke, with bird Pokemon taking off for the morning hunt and distant insects of all kind perusing the forest for various reasons. Cynthia too eventually woke up, the first of her group.

She smiled at the sight that greeted her. Ash had apparently crawled over to his Weedle, who was lying in some kind of web in the middle of the clearing. Looking around, she could see that this web had small threads going throughout the clearing, even in the sky. It was almost like- it was a warning system. Cynthia shook her head- Ash seemed to luck out when it came to Pokemon. Most Weedle wouldn't be this smart.

Beside Ash were Caterpie and Pikachu. Both were next to each other, using Ash as a pillow. All three were still fast asleep.

Cynthia got up, being careful to avoid Misty's sleeping bag. She thought of using this opportunity to lose the water Pokemon trainer, but realized that she would probably be able to track them down again before they left the forest, or barring that stand in front of the route leading to Mt. Moon. Cynthia growled. There was no way to lose her.

Cynthia refocused her attention on Ash. The trainer evoked strange emotions in her. Not of attraction, but more _wonder_. He seemed to attract strange events to him, from what she had experienced and heard. The strange Pikachu before her that could use moves like Surf and Fly, the only Spearow flock in Kanto, Ho-Oh showing herself to them, the Rocket attack in the Pokemon Center, and finally these two strange bug Pokemon.

This was why she stayed with Ash, even though she could have called her grandparents and have them fly her back to Lavender Town. The current option seemed a lot more interesting. Maybe, she liked to humor herself, they would be able to even see another legendary.

Ash started to wake up, and saw Cynthia packing up, getting ready to go.

"Are we ditching Misty?" Ash asked Cynthia. Cynthia sighed.

"As determined as she is? She will probably just follow us again. You already told us that you want to go to Pewter City and battle the gym there, so she'll just meet us there." Cynthia explained.

"Yeah, but we could lose her for a few days, if we are lucky. We could be all by ourselves." Ash said, smiling. Cynthia would have misconstrued that statement, had she not been sure that Ash seemed to be clueless about anything suggestive. She thought back to the abhorrent comment by his mom about she, Cynthia teaching Ash about relationships, and shivered. She almost didn't believe that Ash really had no clue what his mom had been saying, had it not been for his usual dopy face.

"That is tempting." Cynthia said. Ash was about to add something when he suddenly sat up, waking Caterpie and Pikachu.

"Look guys, a Pidgeotto." Ash said, pointing to the bird. Ash's prompting woke up Misty, to Cynthia's immediate displeasure.

"Are you going to catch it?" Cynthia asked him. Ash smiled at her.

"No, but it's cool." Ash said. Both Cynthia and Misty sweat-dropped.

"You wake me up for this?" Misty asked angrily. "You aren't even going to catch it? I thought that all beginning trainers from Pallet caught bird Pokemon like that?"

"Misty, I think we both know by now that Ash isn't like normal trainers." Cynthia said, answering for Ash.

"I don't want to catch Pidgeotto unless it wants to come with me." Ash said. He suddenly yelled to the bird. "Pidgeotto, be my Pokemon!" The Pidgeotto noticed Ash, and by extension the two bugs near him. It started to fly over, and suddenly swooped down. Weedle, sensing the bird break the silk threads managed to move just in time to avoid getting plucked from where it laid.

"No one makes a breakfast of my Pokemon. Weedle, use String Shot." Ash ordered. Weedle obeyed and shot a large chunk of silk at Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto struggled for a second in the air, unable to move it's wing, and then slammed into a tree.

"Great job Weedle, now keep using String Shot." Ash said. Weedle kept doing this, and soon the bird Pokemon was stuck to a tree, the only part of it exposed being the head. He motioned for Weedle to stop, and looked over to Cynthia and Misty, who both wore looks of surprise.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked. Misty was the first to speak up.

"Speaking as someone who hates bugs... most Weedle don't make that much silk. It's not everyday that someone brings down a Pidgeotto using a Weedle." Misty answered. Ash grinned and bent down to Weedle.

"Hear that Weedle, you're better than most Weedle." Ash said as he rubbed Weedle's body. Weedle purred in response.

"So Ash, what are you going to be doing with the Pidgeotto?" Cynthia asked, looking at the bird Pokemon struggle to tear away silk using it's beak.

"I'm going to free it. If it attacks us again I can just have Weedle use String Shot again." Ash said in response. Cynthia was about to question this, and then she remembered that this was Ash.

Ash went over to Pidgeotto and ordered Pikachu to use Iron Tail. Two swipes of the move later, and Pidgeotto was freed. It chirped in gratitude for freeing it, bowed briefly to Weedle, and then flew off.

A few minutes later, they set off again, taking a familiar pattern, with Ash still leading them. An hour later, it still seemed like there was no end to the forest. Finally, Misty spoke up.

"Can you even read that map? Most people only take half a day to get through Viridian Forest." Misty asked him scathingly, not expecting a serious response.

"No, I just wanted to explore the forest, so I decided to lead the way using the map so we could be in here longer." Ash said, grinning. There was silence for a moment, and then Cynthia burst out laughing. Misty wasn't so amused.

"Are you telling me we could have gotten out of here sooner if I was leading?" Misty asked him. Ash nodded.

A few minutes later, Ash was in the back, while Misty led the group on. Cynthia smiled, having seen the map. She knew that Misty too was leading them the wrong way, but decided to keep quiet about it. If they really needed to, Cynthia knew she could point the group towards the right direction and get them out of the forest in an hour or two.

Soon, a new pattern formed, where Ash would tease Misty for her sense of direction, and Misty would yell back at him for the same reason. Soon, Cynthia tired got tired of the bickering.

"Both of you, shut up!" Cynthia yelled. The two of them stopped, unaccustomed to Cynthia raising her voice.

"The way out of the forest is that way." Cynthia said, pointing. "Now let's go." An hour later, they were out of the forest, and could see Pewter City in the distance.

"Awesome, let's go!" Ash said, running forward. Cynthia looked at the city, it's even gray colors deep contrast to the constant greenery of the forest.

"He's excited, isn't he?" Misty asked Cynthia rhetorically. Cynthia nodded.

"That he is." Cynthia said, walking leisurely after him.

"Do you think he realizes how hard the Pewter City gym will be?" Misty asked Cynthia as she walked with her.

"Well, it's a gym, I'm sure he already knows that." Cynthia said. Misty shook her head.

"Not really. There are about 30 gyms in Kanto, but the Pewter City gym is in the top eight. I know Brock, the leader of the gym. Even with his Pikachu's Surf Brock is going to be a problem." Misty explained. Cynthia smiled.

"Maybe, but I'm sure the battle will be fun to watch." Cynthia said calmly. She looked over the city and spotted the gym, right in the middle. They all went toward Pewter City, Ash for a badge, Cynthia for the experience, and Misty for something else.

* * *

**To be honest, this was a hard chapter to write. I'm afraid that I made it too fluffy, please tell me if I did so. I just felt like this part of the anime was the most dull, so I tried to enrich it the best I could. But now that this part is done, we can begin to get into the interesting parts. Again, please send me any suggestions you have for Ash's Pokemon. Sorry if you wanted him to have Pidgeotto, but I feel the way that he captured it in the anime wouldn't jive with the story, and I didn't want to go out of my way to write some bizzare story where Pidgeotto would end up going with Ash voluntarily.**

**Finally, I would like to note that Misty won't be with them forever. Although it's pretty clear that Misty had a crush on Ash in the anime, I still never liked how she behaved and treated Ash. Plus, if she really had cared about the Cerulean Gym, she would have never left the gym in the care of her sisters after finding out that they were trying to give badges away.**


	3. Eroding Brock

**Hey guys, here's another chapter, a lot sooner this time! I can't say that I'll always update this fast (because I won't, and can't) but like I've said before, I'll update at least once a month. Oh, and I would like to give credit to ConstructiveWriter and his/her story "Symbiosis" for giving me inspiration on Weedle. If you haven't read it, go check it out. It's really good.**

**Remember to keep sending in ideas for Pokemon, either through PM or review. Preferrably PM, as I like to see reviews actually reviewing my content, but I don't particularly mind which. Please send it to me soon, as the overall conflict of the story will start to emerge soon and I may face trouble incorporating these Pokemon later, at least in the Kanto Arc.**

* * *

Ash, Misty, and Cynthia were sitting in the Pokemon Center in Pewter City. Ash's enthusiasm upon reaching Pewter City had suddenly quieted as he waited for Nurse Joy to finish making a check up on his Pokemon. Finally, Cynthia spoke.

"Ash, what's wrong? I thought you were excited to be battling Brock." She said, struck by his sudden quiet mood. Ash turned toward her, a look of worry on his face.

"I just realized that I haven't trained my Pokemon at all so far. If I battled Brock now, Pikachu might be able to bring down one or two of his Pokemon, but then Pikachu is toast. And Weedle and Caterpie will definitely need training if I want to actually use them in a trainer battle. The only reason why I won against Pidgeotto with Weedle was because it didn't see the String Shot coming." Ash said depressingly. Misty stood up, a look of determination on her face.

"Well, what did you expect? Why do you think the League gives trainers ten months to gather badges in between Pokemon League tournaments, even though most trainers can travel to eight cities with a gym in one month?" Misty said. Ash was suddenly hanging onto her every word.

"I guess I never thought of it." Was all Ash could say. Misty wrinkled her nose.

"I can see that. Look, you have over 9 ½ months left until the next Indigo League Tournament. Half of that time is normally just spent traveling, if you want to go through the whole Kanto region. The other half is available for training, unforeseen circumstances, or even for seasonal work. If you want to be a half-decent trainer, you better use that extra time to train." Misty finished, finally taking a breath of fresh air. Ash looked at Misty and slowly smiled.

"Great idea! I'll train for a few days and then take on Brock." Ash said, banging his hands on the table that they were siting at. Ash stood up and turned around to go get his Pokemon, when Misty spoke again.

"Oh, and Ash? Even if you train for months you may not beat Brock. He's not one of the great eight for nothing." Misty said sweetly. Ash frowned and decided to ignore her on that point. Cynthia stood up and decided to follow him as he received his Pokemon back, with Nurse Joy commenting that they were well taken care of.

Ash walked out to the battlefield by the Pokemon Center. These battlefields, usually either outside or in the basement of a Pokemon Center were available for all trainers, whether for training or for battles. They came with the usual shielding to prevent trainers from being hit from overly-violent attacks. Luckily for Ash, no one was using the field at the moment, so it was free for him and his Pokemon.

"Come out you two." Ash said, sending out Caterpie and Weedle. He took Pikachu off of his shoulder and placed him next to the two.

"So guys, have you ever heard of the great eight challenge?" Ash asked them. They all shook their head.

"It's where you take on the eight toughest Pokemon gyms in order to qualify for the Indigo League. People don't do this a lot, since some of these gym leaders are strong enough to win the Indigo League tournament, if they wanted to. I don't think Brock is that tough, but he's still pretty strong." Ash said, pausing to let that sink in. He continued. "We need to train a lot to be able to do this. Brock usually gives 2 vs. 2 or 3 vs. 3 challenges, and Pikachu, you could only take down one or two of his Pokemon at best." Pikachu tried to interrupt when Ash held up his hand to stop him.

"Pikachu, how many Surf attacks do you think that you could do in one battle? Keeping in mind that you'll be fighting rocks that are out to knock you out." Ash asked Pikachu. Pikachu scratched it's head sheepishly. It mimed three. "See? That might take out the first one, at best. Then what would I do?"

"And that's why we have to train. We'll do warm-ups first. We are going to be running around this field until all of us are so tired we can barely speak. I know that Pikachu will be able to go faster and longer than all of us. He'll probably run circles around us just to screw with us." Ash said. Pikachu looked up proudly. "But this is going to be about effort expended. Run until you are about to drop, and then stop. Stop while you can still stand. For me, Weedle, Caterpie, this may only be a few laps. For you Pikachu, I'm sure this might take you several minutes. Make this a full sprint guys." They all chirped or squeaked in agreement and started running.

Cynthia watched this with admiration. Ash running along with his Pokemon was a common tactic used by elite trainers, mainly to reinforce a sense of camaraderie and the sense that they were all involved in this struggle together.

A few minutes later, Weedle, Caterpie, and Ash were panting and covered in sweat, while Pikachu was finally starting to slow down. The electric mouse finally achieved this and pulled over to the group, breathing hard. Ash nodded, happy with the result. He pointed Pikachu toward a water bowl that he had set up for Pikachu while waiting for said mouse to finish it's run.

"So... I don't know what to do next." Ash said, shrugging his shoulder. Cynthia intervened.

"Ash, it's obvious, isn't it?" Cynthia asked him. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe we should run more?" Ash said. Cynthia slapped her forehead.

"No, not for now. Why can you not beat Brock with just Pikachu?" Cynthia asked him, trying to guide him to the answer.

"Because Pikachu will tire out after fighting one of his Pokemon?" Ash asked rhetorically. Cynthia nodded.

"So what should you practice now?" Cynthia asked him. He smiled.

"I should have them practice their attacks." Ash said, hitting his fist into his palm.

"Exactly. Luckily for you, I have an idea in mind for how you could do that, if you want to hear it." Cynthia offered. Ash nodded.

"Sounds good." He said.

"Ok, so here's what you want each Pokemon to do. Caterpie and Weedle need to battle each other so that you can get them to evolve-" Cynthia was suddenly interrupted by Weedle, who was bumping itself against her leg and shaking it's head emphatically.

"Weedle, what's wrong? You don't want to fight your friend Caterpie?" Cynthia asked it. Weedle shook it's head again.

"Hey, Weedle." Ash said, understanding dawning on his face. "You don't want to evolve, do you?" Weedle nodded in agreement. Cynthia was struck once again by how easily Ash was able to understand his Pokemon. Maybe his dimwitted behavior was attributable to his attention on his Pokemon.

"If Weedle doesn't want to evolve, I wouldn't recommend using him for the gym battle." Cynthia said, imagining a Geodude squeezing Weedle until it's eyes bulged out.

"I'm using him. If he doesn't want to evolve, I'll just make him the strongest Weedle ever." Ash said. Cynthia nearly groaned, but held it in. _He won't be saying that when Weedle gets crushed_, Cynthia thought to herself.

"If you are going to be like this, I won't help you train." Cynthia told him sternly. "I don't want to see Weedle get hurt all because you thought a little training would help Weedle move a mountain."

"Fine! We don't need you help, do we guys?" Ash said in response. Weedle and Caterpie nodded firmly, and Pikachu, after some thought, nodded as well. Cynthia just walked away and sat on one of the bleachers surrounding the arena to watch what Ash would do.

"So here's how we're going to train. I'm going to get some rocks and then throw it at you guys. Pikachu, use Iron Tail to knock them away. Caterpie, you are going to dodge the rocks. Weedle, use your String Shot." Ash instructed. He went around the arena, picking up rocks that he would be able to throw, and started throwing them.

Progress went fast, much to Ash's satisfaction. Pikachu struggled to use Iron Tail for a short bit, but soon learned to move his body to give more power to the attack. Weedle was producing silk at a rapid pace with it's String Shot, and Caterpie was able to dodge most of the rocks. Finally, he called them off and went over to them.

"Ok, good work guys. Now, we're going to have a battle." Ash said. Weedle and Caterpie cheered in response, while Pikachu looked confused.

"Pika pi kachu pikapi?" Pikachu said, which Ash translated as "Who am I battling Ash?"

"Pikachu, you are going to be battling Caterpie, and then Weedle." Ash said, smiling. Both Weedle and Caterpie stop cheering immediately, while Pikachu turned around to face them with a dark grin. Ash immediately decided to clear this up.

"Pikachu, I know that you know Signal Beam, and that would probably be one of the least destructive attacks you have. Therefore, I've decided that you can only use Signal Beam in this battle, so that it can be fair." Ash said. Pikachu's sadistic grin and ears dropped, while Caterpie and Weedle snickered.

"Ok, Pikachu, go to the other end of the arena. When I start ordering Caterpie to attack will be when the battle starts." Ash said. Pikachu nodded and sprinted over to the other end.

"Caterpie, run forward." Ash said. Caterpie started to sprint as fast as it could to Pikachu, dodging Pikachu's poorly aimed Signal Beams.

_I need to work with Pikachu on his accuracy_, Ash thought. "Caterpie, use Tackle."

Caterpie lunged forward, trying to slam it's body against Pikachu, but Pikachu just stepped the left. Caterpie tried to do it again, but Pikachu did the same thing.

"String shot." Ash said calmly. Pikachu, realizing it's pride too late suddenly had silk around it's legs. It wasn't near as much as Weedle could put out, but it was still bothersome. Pikachu started to grind the silk with it's teeth in an attempt to free itself.

"Tackle while it's distracted." Caterpie threw itself at Pikachu again, knocking Pikachu over. Weedle cheered in encouragement, and Caterpie suddenly dived down again in another Tackle attempt.

"No Caterpie!" Ash said. He had planned on wrapping Pikachu in more silk before attempting to attack again. Pikachu shot it's Signal Beam, sending Caterpie sky-high, where it landed upside down on the field. Caterpie stood up straight, it's head poised to the sky defiantly, and started to glow.

"Caterpie is evolving." Ash said in awe, watching Caterpie as he enveloped himself in silk while glowing, eventually coming out a Metapod.

"Alright, nice job Cat-Metapod." Ash said. Suddenly Metapod was nailed by Pikachu's Signal Beam. Ash shook his head and returned Metapod.

"Ok Weedle, your turn." Ash said. Weedle stepped forward. "Use String Shot." Pikachu had to dive wildly to avoid the String Shot, the thick strands of silk resembling thin rope more than string. Pikachu managed to gather himself and started running in a circular motion toward Weedle, sometimes jumping or moving to the side to avoid the String Shot. Soon Pikachu managed to get close enough to Weedle to launch Signal Beam, now forcing Weedle to move wildly to avoid the attack. Ash growled as he saw Weedle jump around, saved only by Pikachu's poor aim.

"Weedle, launch as much silk as you can in one String Shot at Pikachu, and then use Poison Sting." Ash ordered. Pikachu dodge the particularly large glob of silk, but was hit by Weedle's Poison Sting.

Ash's eyes narrowed. Weedle's Poison Sting was pretty large, another reminder of it's particular strength among it's species, but it wouldn't be enough to bring Pikachu down unless he was poisoned.

"Weedle, keep using Poison Sting. Shoot it wildly around Pikachu. We've got to try to poison him." Ash said, watching and shivering in excitement as Pikachu was hit with tiny individual needles. A purple haze formed on the electric mouses face.

"Great job Weedle!" Ash said excitedly.

Pikachu winced as he felt the poison start to flow throughout his body. With more than a bit of vindictiveness, Pikachu suddenly ran through the Poison Sting attack, doing his best to ignore the sting of the pins. He charged a Signal Beam and fired it, point-blank in Weedle's face. Weedle was knocked back a distance, but managed to get up. Pikachu ran forward to finish the job when he saw Weedle shivering, as if he was the one poisoned, and not Pikachu. Pikachu came to a halt.

Ash saw this and realized as Weedle glowed intermittently that it was struggling not to evolve.

"Pikachu, stop for now. We'll get everyone healed up at the Pokemon Center and then continue training." Ash said, watching as the shivering and glowing stopped, leaving Weedle to still be un-evolved. Ash picked Weedle up, rubbing it's back.

"We need to find a way to stop you from evolving." Ash said, heading over to Cynthia, who was still seated at the bleachers.

"Hey Cynthia, how do I stop Weedle from evolving?" Ash asked her.

"An everstone bracelet should work. Weedle should be able to stop itself from evolving most of the time, but if he's knocked out halfway through evolving then he won't be able to stop himself." Cynthia said, resigning herself to the fact that Ash would be using Weedle to battle, with or without her guidance. Ash nodded.

"Where do I find an everstone then?" Ash asked her. She smiled.

"If you hadn't sprinted here, you might have noticed the rock shop at the edge of town. There's some kind of shady guy selling rocks, but the everstone bracelets there looked real enough." Cynthia informed Ash. Ash nodded and went back into the Pokemon Center to get his Pokemon looked at.

A few minutes later, Ash was standing in front of the stand, looking at the various rocks. Now that he saw the stand, he couldn't believe that he had missed it on his way into the city.

"May I help you young man?" The man running the stand asked. He wore a red knit cap and had a long beard, which hid most of his face. He had a lax air around him, as if there wasn't a care in the world, which for this man seemed to be true. Ash could see a sleeping bag curled up in the corner of the stand, indicating that the man actually slept there. He had pokeballs around his waist. The man probably spent his time relaxing in the wild, when he wasn't selling rocks. It probably wouldn't be too bad a thing to get behind, Ash thought to himself, when he and his Pokemon got too old to battle.

"I would like to know the price for one of your everstone bracelets." Ash said, feeling a strange sense of familiarity from the old man.

"That will be 300 Pokedollars." The man said. Ash got some money out and handed it to the man. Ash started to walk away when the old man called to him.

"May I ask what you are going to do with that everstone?" The man asked Ash.

"I'm giving it my Weedle." Ash said, turning around. "He doesn't want to evolve when we battle Brock."

The salesman stood there for a second, silent. Ash continued to look at him, unsure of what he did or said that was wrong. Suddenly, the man started to laugh loudly and obnoxiously.

"That's rich kid! You aren't really going to battle Brock with a Weedle, are you?" The salesman asked when he managed to gather himself enough to do so. Ash's face twinged in annoyance.

"Of course. I have a plan to defeat Brock, and I've been training." Ash answered as the man continued to laugh. The answer only made him laugh harder, if anything.

"You're underestimating Brock. Don't you know about the great eight of the Kanto Gym Leaders?" The man asked him. He was about to further explain when Ash cut him off.

"I do. And I know that Brock has a very similar battling style as his father. He normally does 2 vs. 2 gym battles, sometimes three. He uses a Geodude, a Graveler, and an Onix. They rely on defensive maneuvers. Like most rock Pokemon, they don't have a lot of long range attacks. The ones they do have can be dodge easily. He'll try to use Iron Defense to resist my attacks, run Rock Polish, and then use their speed to blitz me." Ash recited from memory, thinking back to the League matches he had seen of Brock on T.V., as well as his personal experience of having watched Flint, Brock's father battle. "Luckily, he doesn't seem to train his Pokemon a lot, because only his Onix knows Stealth Rock, and he never leads with it. I won't have to worry about entry hazards. All I have to do to bring down his Pokemon is bring them to a crawl, and then poison them. Then I can finish them off with my secret weapon."

The man stood there, slightly impressed with what boy knew about Brock. He had obviously been planning to take on Brock for awhile.

"You obviously have things planned out." The man said. "What's your name?"

"Thanks, my name is Ash." Ash said, his anger receding.

"No last name?" The man asked, smiling.

"Ketchum. Ash Ketchum." Ash said in response. The man's face suddenly paled. He spoke in a shaky voice.

"A-Are you related to..."

"Yes." Ash said, instantly feeling self-conscious. He hated it when people recognized the name.

"So you're the son of-"

"Yes. I don't like talking about it." Ash said firmly. The man nodded.

"I'm sorry to bother you about it. It's just that... I know a lot about that incident. It sounded rough." The man said, taking his hat off and scratching his head. The light bulbs started to light up in Ash's head.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Ash asked him. The man sighed.

"It's been awhile, but I suppose you would. The names Flint, former member of the great eight." Flint told Ash. Ash nodded, not feeling so self-conscious anymore. Ash remembered vaguely a brown haired man from "that incident" who had been riding around on an Aerodactyl.

"I thought you looked familiar." Ash said in response. The mood felt strange, having gone from jovial to angry to respectful, and then to this cold sense of reminiscence. Flint decided to change the subject.

"I'm sorry that I brought that up. It was tough for everyone, I can't imagine how you feel about it. How about I make it up to you and help you train to beat Brock? Like you said, Brock and I battle similarly. We should, I taught him how to battle." Flint said, stepping over the counter in his stand and offering his hand to Ash. Ash looked at it for a second or two, not answering. Then he smiled.

"Sure." Ash said, taking his hand and smiling. Flint grinned.

"Don't think I'm going easy on you. I'm going to have to push you and your Pokemon if you want to beat Brock." Flint said determinedly. Ash nodded as Flint took off his fake beard and stripped out of his shirt.

* * *

"Hey Cynthia, where did Ash go?" Misty asked the blonde, stirring some tea. The two sat in the Pokemon Center cafeteria, taking advantage of the free food offered there.

"He went to that rock stand outside the city. I noticed they were selling Everstone bracelets there, and Ash wanted to get one for his Weedle." Cynthia said. Misty just groaned into her tea.

"Please tell me that he just wants Weedle to learn a move first before evolving." Misty said. Even though she was leery of Weedle, and doubly-so for Beedrill, she knew that logically a Beedrill would be a far better choice against Brock.

"I wish." Cynthia said wistfully, looking out the window, as if expecting Ash to suddenly show up. "I checked my Pokedex. Apparently the only two moves Weedle can learn that Beedrill can't are Bug Bite and Electroweb." Misty just shook her head in response.

"Let me guess? He plans on using his Weedle for the gym battle." Misty said. Cynthia nodded.

"Unfortunately." Cynthia replied. She smiled. "He doesn't really see common sense, does he?"

"You got that right." Misty said derisively. Cynthia was suddenly struck by something. Without Ash around, Misty was being a lot quieter, and a lot more communicable.

"Hey Misty, you are pretty quiet without Ash around." Cynthia said. Misty looked sharply at Cynthia, and attempted to snort confidently.

"It's easy to be quiet when you don't have someone who acts so stupid around." Misty retorted. Cynthia smiled widely. She was good at reading others emotions, and even better at steering a conversation. If she was able to get over her shyness in the situation, that is. Cynthia had Misty right where she wanted her.

"It's strange, though. When we argue over something, you just make your point even louder. With Ash, you always go straight to the insults." Cynthia said. Misty raised an eyebrow.

"So?" Misty asked defiantly.

"Why are you following Ash and I around, even though he already gave you his mother's contact information?" Cynthia asked her.

"I'm not leaving him until I see a bike in front of me again, and I haven't received one from his mom yet!" Misty said pointedly. Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

"So if Ash called home, his mom will say that you called her about that." Cynthia said. Misty went silent for a second, two. Her face was still, stuck in that "gotcha" moment. Cynthia resisted the temptation of smiling broadly. They both knew what she was implying in the current direction of the conversation.

"Why are you following him around then?" Misty said, sure she had Cynthia there. She was surprised by Cynthia unleashing her smile. The veneer she had held, one of a calm, reassuring appearance had vanished, only to be replaced with the look of a victor.

"He interests me. Not in the same way as you though." Cynthia said, noting the blush traveling across Misty's face. "He cares about his Pokemon, and seems to get along with them perfectly. To some extent, he can talk with them easily. He's going toward my home, and I decided that I would go with him for the ride. Plus..." She proceeded to tell Misty about the story Ash's mom had told her with the Charizard. Misty was floored.

"How does a kid like that even command them? Do you think Professor Oak trained his Charizard to obey commands like that?" Misty said, genuinely curious and trying to change the conversation away from Cynthia's allegations.

"I doubt it. There's no reason for Professor Oak to do that. Plus, if that was true, wouldn't some other trainer know to use Charizard?" Cynthia postured.

"Yah..." Misty said. She found herself looking at the clock. "I think we should probably go find him. He's been gone way too long just to get a rock." Cynthia looked at the time and nodded in agreement.

* * *

The area around the stand was covered in silk everywhere, much to the shock of Cynthia and Misty. It almost looked like snow, except that silk strands were hanging from the trees.

"It's like Ash's Weedle just exploded." Cynthia said, absentmindedly taking one of the silk strands and playing around with it in her hands.

"Oh, I hope that this is just Ash's Weedle and not some new bugs." Misty said, giving the silk as much distance as possible.

"Come on, don't tell me this is the best you can do!" A man yelled, suddenly grabbing the two girl's attention.

Ash was jogging down the road with the rock salesman, with Ash's Pokemon behind him. Ash was holding up a rock in his arms, looking extremely uncomfortable. Pikachu was carrying Metapod, and Weedle ran with a rock tied to it's leg by a rope. The man carried an outrageously sized rock, the size of which was worthy of being called a boulder.

Ash noticed the pair of girls and ran over to them.

*_pant* "Hey" *_pant_* _Ash said, taking a moment to breathe. Flint caught up to Ash, laughing.

"That was impressive for your first Pewter City run." Flint said, throwing the boulder to his left like it was nothing. The two girls stared.

"Um, Ash? Who is this?" Misty asked, staring at the two shirtless men. Flint answered for her.

"The name's Flint." Flint said, extending his hand. Misty shook it, staring at the muscles on Flint. He noticed this and laughed.

"You like what you see?" Flint asked her. She blushed and withdrew her hand. She looked at his face properly for the first time, and suddenly gasped.

"You're the former leader of the Pewter City gym." She noted, seeing how similar Flint looked to Brock. Same exact face, only more worn. Somewhat more heavily built. And definitely a bit ratty. She suddenly grew angry.

"You left Brock and his siblings alone to themselves. Do you have any idea the problems Brock had to deal with with you leaving? The gym was nearly shut down and your children nearly got taken into adoptive services." Misty said, getting into full confrontation mode. "If it wasn't for Brock being so good at battling, that would have happened." Flint's expression darkened considerably.

"I heard. And I'm ashamed of it." Flint said, looking at the ground. This was not enough to appease Misty.

"If you are so ashamed, why don't you go back and help Brock? Every gym leader in Kanto knows that Brock doesn't want to that job." Misty said pointedly.

"I tried. But Brock didn't trust me to watch over my own children anymore. He has full ownership of the gym now, and custody of the children." Flint said. Ash watched their conversation, even though Flint had already filled Ash in on the circumstances.

"Misty, drop it." Cynthia told her. Misty started to complain, when Cynthia stopped her again. "Drop it Misty, yelling at him won't fix this, and I don't think it's our business." Misty stopped, but she still shot Flint a poisonous look. They stood there for a few seconds. Ash held his rock awkwardly, requiring instruction from Flint in the training to put it down. Pikachu sat belly-up with Metapod on top of him, breathing heavily. The cocooned insect was heavier than it looked. Weedle was back to practicing with silk, coating a tree even more heavily using String Shot. Cynthia wanted to ask some questions, but couldn't. Her shyness, which was more like a speech impediment around strangers at this point prevented her from doing so. Finally, Misty spoke again.

"So what have you two been doing?" Misty asked them. Ash decided to speak.

"Flint and I talked for a little bit, and I realized that he looked like the former leader of the Pewter City gym." Ash said, deciding to leave out a few details. "We talked over some stuff, and he explained his current situation to me already. He's going to train me to beat Brock."

"What he said." Flint said. "Since I know how Brock battles, I can help Ash to win. Brock won't know what hit him when the tiny little worm is poisoning his rock Pokemon and bathing them in silk. And I have to say, the little Pikachu knowing Surf will be a nasty surprise, if that fails." Flint rubbed his hands as the plan Ash had made came together.

* * *

True to Flint's word, they trained for several days. Weedle kept practicing his String Shot, taking advantage of the fact that the silk dissolved after a few hours, meaning he didn't have to worry about burying any trees with it. Flint taught him to try launching large globs of silk rather than strands, since Brock's Pokemon had too much leverage in terms of weight for normal String Shots. As time progressed, the String Shot grew more and more powerful, and soon Flint decided that Weedle needed to practice Poison Sting. Weedle was assigned the task of launching the attack at rocks, not being allowed to take breaks until it shattered a rock with the force of the sting.

In the middle of their training, Metapod had evolved into a Butterfree. Weedle and Pikachu had congratulated the bug Pokemon, who was ecstatic at finally accomplishing it's dream. This happiness was quickly replaced with agony as Flint set Butterfree to the task of practicing it's various spore attacks, and then once perfecting that using Confusion.

However, out of the all the Pokemon, Pikachu probably had the worst of it.

"Your Pikachu may have all the moves it will ever need, but if he wants to use them his endurance has to be higher." Flint said. Soon, Flint started Pikachu on a training regimen of hitting boulders, using Surf to float and travel in water as fast as possible so that Pikachu would get a better feel for the move, and practicing it's accuracy when Ash had mentioned that Pikachu couldn't aim. Once Pikachu was doing "acceptable" in these activities, according to Flint he had Pikachu fly through the air as long as possible, so that Pikachu could avoid ground type moves.

"_He's a sadist. I've never been so sore in my life!" _Pikachu said angrily, plopping down on the ground after one such training session. Flint had recently stepped up his game with Fly, having Pikachu use it as an attack rather than as transportation, of which was a lot more effort for the electric mouse.

"_You think you have it bad? My throats sore from spitting up so much silk." _Weedle said hoarsely, chewing on some leafy greens that Flint had given to the worm.

"_At least you guys can think without your head being sore. He's had m__e__ use Confusion on boulders so much that my mind feels fried." _Butterfree said, chowing down on a bowl of berries.

"So Flint," Cynthia began, having become comfortable speaking around Flint after a few days. She had been training with Flint and Ash the past few days. "How long do you think Ash and his Pokemon have to go until he can take on Brock?"

"Honest opinion? I think he could take Brock on now." Flint said. Misty, who had been listening in on Flint interrupted.

"How can a someone who's only been a trainer for less than a month beat one of the great eight?" Misty said quizzically. Although she was still mad at him for abandoning his family, she had learned to defer to Flint when it came to training and tactics for Brock.

"I've watched Brock battle. His Pokemon don't get poisoned a lot, and when they do he focuses on ending the battle as fast as possible. It'll take him out of his comfort zone. Luckily, the same Pokemon Ash has that can poison them can also slow them down drastically, so this won't happen. It's going to be an ugly battle, and I'm sure that Ash will have to resort to Pikachu, but I think that he has it." Flint said, having planned this all out.

"You really think so?" Ash asked him. Flint nodded.

"Of course. Plus, you have your god mouse. If it's a 2 vs. 2, just lead with Weedle, as planned. Weedle should be able to take down Geodude, and either slow down or poison Onix. From there, it's just a couple of Surfs, and maybe an Iron Tail or two. Even better is that with Fly, Onix won't be able to Earthquake Pikachu." Flint explained. "And if it's 3 vs. 3, lead with Butterfree. Just hit Brock's Pokemon with stun powder, and then use Confusion. Hopefully you'll be able to bring down one of his Pokemon that way."

"It sounds easy. What's the catch?" Ash asked, knowing the strength of the great eight in Kanto. Flint smiled

"There's no catch. Trust me, a lot of our power is over-exaggerated. We only pretend to be amazing. Plus, most trainers aren't as dedicated as you have been. Not everyone can stand training their Pokemon everyday for hours at a time." Flint noted. "Most trainers burn out after a few gyms, because even the weakest gyms require some training and strategy to beat them. Everyone wants to become Champion of a region, but most aren't willing to put in the work to actually achieve this. Also, keep in mind that you are being trained by someone who knows about Brock's battling style inside and out."

"That makes sense." Ash observed, looking at his tired Pokemon groan and mumble. To be honest, he wasn't feeling good either, still tired from the "Pewter City run". "So I should battle Brock tomorrow?"

"Go for it. Just make sure to get a good night's rest." Flint told Ash.

* * *

Ash did not get a good night's rest. At best, he got a few hours of sleep. Despite showing confidence in front of Cynthia and Misty that night, he was actually worried. This would technically be his first battle against a legitimate Pokemon trainer. How often did beginner trainers actually beat one of the great eight?

Eventually, morning came. Ash got up, rousing Pikachu and sending out Weedle and Butterfree so they could all get food.

"How are you feeling Ash?" Cynthia asked him, noticing his tired appearance.

"I'm on top of the world!" Ash said with bravado, as he began to dig into his food. He had had an epiphany, even if he didn't know what that word meant. While still awake last night, he remembered all the training they had done. Pikachu was able to Surf a few times, and still be strong enough to move around. Of course, Surf could be dodged with the right attack, but it was promising. Weedle was able to grind rocks into gravel with his Poison Sting. Butterfree was launching Confusion attacks that could throw the rocks that Weedle was able to shred. If he didn't have faith in his Pokemon, he couldn't win.

"You sound a lot better. I remember you tossing and turning last night." Cynthia said.

"Tell me about it. You kept me up last night Ash." Misty said grumpily as she ate a banana.

"I'm fine now. Trust me, when I come back here later to get my Pokemon healed, it will be as the proud owner of a badge." Ash replied.

"Don't get too overconfident." Flint said, who had come to the Pokemon Center before any of them had woken up.

The four of them walked into the gym, Ash having returned all his Pokemon except for Pikachu. He took a look at the gym. The building was huge and seemed like it was carved out of stone. It was fitting for a rock type gym leader.

The interior of the gym was dark and unlit. Cynthia voiced what they were all thinking.

"Maybe it's closed and the doors were accidentally unlocked." Cynthia said.

"No, it's open at these hours." Flint said, wearing his disguise again so that he could watch the battle.

"Who goes there?" A deep voice asked. Suddenly, a light flickered on, showing the whole gym arena. The battleground was deeply compacted dirt and sand, with random boulders littering the battlefield. It was fitting for a rock type gym. On the opposite side of the arena where the four stood was a younger look-alike of Flint (minus the disguise).

"My name is Ash Ketchum, and I challenge you to a Pokemon battle." Ash said, remembering his experiences watching official gym matches.

"Very well Ash. Are those three with you challenging the gym as well?" Brock asked them.

"No, we're just here to watch." Cynthia said. Misty and Flint nodded. Brock suddenly snapped his fingers, and a row of bleacher extended out from the walls of the gym.

"That's a new addition." Flint muttered so that only they could hear it. The three non-challengers walked over to the bleachers and sat down, leaving Ash to stand in the challenger box. A boy who looked to be one of Brock's siblings walked out from a hidden door and stood in the referee box.

"This is a battle between the Gym Leader Brock Slate and the challenger Ash Ketchum. This will be a 2 vs. 2 match, and only the challenger can substitute. Any questions?" The boy asked, looking over to Ash. Ash shook his head.

"Very well, let the match begin. Brock chooses first." The boy stated.

"Geodude, let's make this quick." Brock said, sending out his Pokemon. He had looked at Ash's official League record, having been alerted by the gym's sensors detecting the pokedex of the approaching trainer. With only three Pokemon, all of whom had a type disadvantage against his Pokemon, not even to mention how Ash had only been a trainer a few weeks, he expected this to be quick.

"Weedle, let's go." Ash said, sending him out. Ash's pulse began to quicken. His first gym battle was about to begin.

"Begin!" The referee declared.

"Weedle, String Shot." Ash commanded. Before Brock or Geodude could react, Geodude was literally bombed with silk, unable to move properly. Weedle fired several more globs, leaving a large white patch with a struggling lump in the middle.

"Geodude!" Brock shouted.

"Now Weedle, use Poison Sting!" Weedle complied, and squirmed over to the struggling mass. Weedle stuck it's stinger inside and started to use Poison Sting. Loud, jackhammer-like sounds started to come from the mess. This continued for about half a minute, Ash watching anxiously to see if they could actually damage the rock Pokemon, and Brock slack-jawed at the amount of trouble a Weedle was giving him. The struggling eventually stopped, and Weedle relaxed, tired from the heavy expenditure of silk and poison.

"Weedle, let's be nice and free Geodude." Ash said, remembering that a Weedle's head barb was able to cut through the silk easily, unlike Geodude's blunt hands. Weedle complied and revealed Geodude, knocked out.

"Geodude is... unable to battle." The referee said, unable to believe that Brock's Pokemon had gone down so easily.

"That was easy." Misty said, mildly impressed with Ash. Flint grinned.

"Yah, but this is where it gets harder. Geodude has swept his fair share of opponents, but Onix usually does the heavy lifting for Brock." Flint explained.

Brock frowned. Usually he was able to get a Rock Polish in for Geodude, and try to use Rollout. This didn't work against more skilled trainers, but it was useful for getting a handle on what kind of Pokemon and attacks the challenger used. But Geodude hadn't even gotten the chance to use the first move! But then again, Brock mused, it would all end with Onix.

"Rock Polish, and Dig." Brock whispered into Onix's pokeball. Onix would hear it. He sent Onix out, and in a flash Onix glowed brightly one moment, and then zoomed underground the next.

"Weedle, keep your head barb to the ground to sense for Onix, and then use String Shot when Onix comes out." Ash said. That was when Onix suddenly roared and blasted out from the ground, hitting Weedle. Ash watched as Weedle rolled away from the spot, finally coming to a stop and not moving.

"Weedle is unable to battle." The referee ruled. Ash returned Weedle.

"Thanks buddy." Ash said to the pokeball. He suddenly heard cheering.

"Go Brock, go!" A bunch of kids were yelling. From their appearance, Ash guessed they were more siblings of Brock. How Brock's mother had pumped them all out, Ash had no idea.

"Pikachu, it's your turn." Ash said. Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder and looked toward Onix, not flinching as he was stared down by the rock serpent.

_This Pikachu probably knows Iron Tail_, Brock guessed correctly. "Harden." Onix suddenly glowed briefly before returning to it's normal appearance. Ash smiled. The trap was set.

"Pikachu, Teeter Dance!" Ash yelled.

"What's Teeter Dance?" Brock asked, surprised again. It wasn't a common move in Kanto, and thus Brock had never been exposed to it. Pikachu started spinning weirdly and emanating strange noises. Suddenly, Onix started to thrash around wildly, confused. Brock looked over at Ash in shock, and could see the young trainer smiling.

"Onix, use Dragonbreath!" Brock ordered. Onix heard Brock and managed to pull off the attack, but ended up accidentally hitting itself. Long yellow sparks suddenly started flashing all over Onix's body.

"Shit." Brock said angrily. Every gym battle in Kanto was recorded, and the more interesting matches were broadcast on T.V. The Kanto Battle Network would have a blast replaying this match. Nobody with Pokemon like Ash's should have come that far in a gym battle against Brock.

"Onix, please use Earthquake." Brock ordered firmly, trying to sound as concise as possible so that Onix would hear him.

"Pikachu, use Fly!" Ash yelled to Pikachu. Pikachu suddenly took off, soaring as the field shook beneath him. Brock watched in disbelief. Just who was this challenger?

Flint, Cynthia, and Misty watched this, laughing at Brock's reaction. Each of Brock's siblings were yelling and complaining, and they could overhear them saying "unfair" occasionally, or "You can do it Brock!".

"Onix, Rock Throw." Brock ordered. Onix tried to use it's tail to pick up some rocks, but pulled so hard and missed the rocks that it hit itself in the head.

"Ok Pikachu, let's finish this. Use Surf." Ash said, his heart swelling. Pikachu landed on the ground, and the whole field was enveloped in a large wave of water. The wave hit Onix, sending it tumbling down. Brock flinched in sympathy as the water receded to reveal a barely conscious Onix.

"One more-" Suddenly Ash was interrupted by Brock's siblings, who had ran over to Ash and were dog-piling on him.

"You meanie, stop hurting Onix!" One yelled at him.

"You cheated, no Pikachu can know those moves!" Another said. Flint watched his children, trying his best to hold back tears. They cared about Brock and his Onix so much.

"That's enough everyone." Brock yelled firmly. "Forrest, I forfeit. Onix is hurt badly, paralyzed, and still confused. There's no way I can win."

"Very well," Forrest, the referee said. "the winner is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."

Ash was shocked for a moment, unable to process this as Brock's siblings rolled off of him in disappointment. The next moment, he started jumping in excitement as Pikachu leaped into his arms.

"We won, we won we won wewon!" Ash said excitedly, barely maintaining a coherent statement, rubbing Pikachu's head. His first Pokemon battle, and he had won against one of the finest Kanto had to offer.

"That was impressive Ash." Brock said, walking over to shake Ash's hand. "You really trained your Pokemon well for this match. How many Pokemon battles have you had before me?"

"Oh, this was my first trainer battle." Ash said joyfully. A sudden cloud appeared over Brock's head, making Ash jump back in surprise, his joy forgotten.

"His first... battle against someone, and he won? Against me?" Brock sobbed, as rain and darkness fell from the micro-cloud.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked, concerned. Brock suddenly transformed and stood up straight, the cloud disappearing as soon as it had appeared.

"Yeah, I'm just mad at myself for underestimating you." Brock said, smiling sadly. "Here you go, you've earned the Boulder Badge. You should be happy, not a lot of trainers win it."

"Gee, thanks." Ash said, showing it to Pikachu before pinning it to his jacket.

"Hey Ash, why don't you come over for dinner once you get your Pokemon healed. Bring your friends. It's not often that I get beaten, and I'm interested in how you raise your Pokemon." Brock said. Ash thought for a second. Ash was sure that Flint would want this opportunity to see how his family was doing, and besides, he was pretty hungry.

"Sure." Ash said, smiling. He walked over to his friends to tell them what had happened.

* * *

A few hours later, Ash and his friends were digging into soup and rice balls that Brock had made. Ash practically drank his bowls down. He hadn't had food this good since leaving home. Everyone's Pokemon were experiencing the same pleasure. Brock's Pokemon were eating hard grains mixed with pebbles. Ash's Butterfree was eating berries covered in an extra-sugary syrup, Weedle was eating a large spinach salad, and Pikachu was drinking from a ketchup bottle that Brock had offered the mouse.

"Wow Brock, it's like you know how to cook for everything." Misty said in-between a bite of food. Brock nodded.

"You learn to cook well when you have a lot of children to look after. As for the Pokemon, I learned about their feeding habits in a breeder manual." Brock said, grinning at the sight of everyone captivated by the soup.

"Are you interested in Pokemon breeding?" Flint asked, trying to mask his voice as much as possible. Brock nodded, noting that the man sounded familiar.

"I am. I actually dream of being a Pokemon Breeder." Brock said. That was when Ash opened his big mouth.

"Then why don't you?" Ash asked. The table was quiet, with Cynthia and Misty looking at Ash like he was an idiot, Flint looking down at his food ashamed, and Brock looking slightly forlorn.

"Some things came up. I don't regret it though." Brock said. Forrest looked at Brock sympathetically; he was the only sibling old enough to understand the situation Brock was in.

"Well, that sucks. Do you think there's any chance of you being able to chase your dream?" Ash said, glancing over to Flint. Misty suddenly held in a gasp; Ash was being as manipulative as Cynthia was to her a few days earlier.

"Maybe. I had the chance a few months ago, but I blew it. If it shows up again though, I think I'll take it this time. Even though I'll miss my family." Brock said, taking a sip of his own soup. That was the last straw for Flint. He tore off his fake beard and hat, revealing himself to Brock and his family. Everyone stared for a few seconds, when Misty grabbed Ash and Cynthia.

"Guys, I think we should go now." Misty said, taking Ash and Cynthia by their hands and pulling them out of the room.

The three of them waited in the living room for a minute or two. They could hear cheering, sobbing, and a slap or two. Finally, Brock came into the living room and suddenly hugged Ash.

"Thank you Ash, thank you." Brock said, barely able to hold back tears.

"For what?" Ash asked, unaware of what he had done to deserve this.

"You returned my dad and freed me up to leave to pursue Pokemon breeding." Brock said gratefully, finally releasing Ash. "What do you mean what?" Ash scratched his head.

"Well, I guess when you put it that way..." Ash said modestly. Flint suddenly entered the room carrying a huge stack of papers ranging from to-do lists to forms that would give custody of the children and the gym back to him.

"Turns out Brock was waiting for me to return for months." Flint said, grunting as he put down the paper and grabbed a pen so that he could start filling out forms. The way he said it sounded gruff, but his wide smile betrayed his true feelings.

* * *

The group stayed the night at Brock's, and had breakfast in the morning that Brock cooked for his family one last time.

"We're going to miss you Brock." Each of Brock's siblings said in unison as Flint stood to the side, watching them.

"I'm going to miss everyone of you too. But don't worry, you have dad again, and I'll make sure to call home." Brock said, tears running down his face. Brock pulled aside Forrest.

"If dad goes missing, call me immediately. I don't think he'll disappear this time, but just in case..." Brock said. Forrest nodded.

"Yeah." Forrest answered.

"Ok everyone, I'll see you later!" Brock said, adjusting his backpack and turning around. He walked over to Ash and his friends.

"Mind if I travel with you three?" Brock asked them.

"I thought you wanted to be a breeder? I'm just trainer going around and getting badges." Ash said, confused.

"Yeah, and it'll be firsthand experience for me. After being in the Pewter City gym for so long, I haven't gotten to see a large variety of Pokemon. I had no idea what kind of move Teeter Dance was, for example. Going with you on a journey seems like it would be the best way to get some experience on Pokemon, which will help me as a breeder." Brock explained.

"Ok, the more the merrier!" Ash cheered, not bothering to ask Cynthia or Misty. Not that they would mind. The group started walking after Ash. Only one thought was in his head.

_Cerulean City, here I come._


	4. Making a Splash in Cerulean City

**Authors Note: Holy crap, I'm just pumping out chapter after chapter. Don't expect runs like this too often, I don't want to burn out writing. I just feel really inspired right now. I'm closing off Pokemon requests for now, having decided what Pokemon Ash will get in Kanto. Feel free to send them in after Kanto though.**

* * *

"Pikachu is unable to battle, Brock wins." Cynthia announced. Ash ran over to Pikachu to bring him into the Pokemon Center

"Hey, that was a good battle Ash. You really made me work for that." Brock said as he returned his Onix.

"Thanks Brock." Ash replied.

The group of four were outside Mount Moon, having stopped at the Pokemon Center at the entrance to train for a couple of days, at the request of Ash. Brock and Ash had battled twice at that location, this being their second time. Ash had won the first.

"You really have yourself a good Pikachu. And the brain to match it." Brock said. He was being honest. In the middle of the battle, Ash had drenched Onix with Surf and then electrocuted it, and to Brock's shock, actually succeeded in harming the rock snake Pokemon. Brock had only manged to win the battle using Sand Tomb, and then Dragonbreath before Pikachu could escape.

Ash beamed at the praise. In their two battles at the Pokemon Center, Brock had shown himself to be a far better battler than he had at the gym, now that he wasn't underestimating Ash. To still be told that he was good after the last two battles was heartening, even with the loss.

"Let's get you healed up Pikachu." Ash said, as the two went into the Pokemon Center.

"Nurse Joy, your locks of pink hair illuminate the skies at night, and your eyes glisten with the beautiful shimmer of- now my eyes darken with pain." Brock flirted, before being dragged by his ear away from the nurse by Misty. Ash looked puzzled at Brock, while Cynthia stood away from this at the corner of the lobby laughing.

"Hey Nurse Joy, can I get my Pikachu healed up? We're going to go through Mount Moon tomorrow, and I need him in top shape." Ash said.

"Sure. Oh, and if you and your group are going through there, be careful. There's been reports from the Cerulean side of the mountain of some Team Rocket agents going inside. Pokemon Rangers have been patrolling that end, but so far they haven't come out through there. They haven't been able to find them in the main tunnels either. They are probably still inside." Nurse Joy advised. Ash nodded.

"I will." Ash said.

* * *

The next day, Ash was lost, only had his Pokemon with him as company, and was facing Jesse, James, and the talking Meowth as they mined moon stones, their backs turned to him.

In the middle of going through the main tunnels in Mt. Moon, Ash had the bright idea of going off into a side tunnel while everyone else in the group were taking a breather. Soon that side tunnel led into an intersection, the turn he took from there leading into another intersection, and soon he was lost. In the midst of trying to find his way back, he had found the trio of Team Rocket members.

"Pikachu, get ready to fight." Ash whispered. Pikachu nodded and jumped off of his shoulder.

"So, how many more moon stones did tha' boss say we need ta mine?" Meowth asked the pair.

"I think we needed to get a wagon-full." James said.

"Quit your complaining and dig! If you have energy to whine, you have energy to dig." Jesse told the two. They bent their heads down obediently and went back to mining.

Ash wanted to laugh at the trio, but resisted the urge to. Instead, he decided to speak up.

"So, what are you three up to? I thought you were arrested back in Viridian." Ash asked. They all spun around to face Ash grinning, and Pikachu leering at them threateningly as water pooled around the mouse's feet.

"It's that twerp from Viridian." Meowth said, dropping his pick.

"Indeed." James said.

"You know what this means." Jesse noted.

_Prepare for trouble_

_And make it double!_

_To protect the world from devastation_

_To unite all peoples within our nation_

_To denounce the evils of truth and love_

_To extend our reach to the stars above!_

_Jesse!_

_James!_

_Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light_

_Surrender now or prepare to fight!_

_Meowth, that's right._

Ash stood there for a second, then two, and then sighed.

"You three aren't that smart, are you?" Ash said. If they were halfway-intelligent, they would have attacked Ash already. The only reason he personally hadn't was because Pikachu could defeat them all with a single Surf. In a cave like this, the power would only be multiplied, as a powerful current that would fly away from Ash, specifically washing the trio away. Or perhaps they were smart, and already knew this.

"How dare you! We ought to wipe the smirk off that twerp face." Jesse snarled. Apparently it had been the former.

"Listen, we both know that my Pikachu could defeat all three of you and your Pokemon instantaneously. Even if you try to poison Pikachu, he would still get you while being poisoned. And then I would just heal him with an Antidote." Ash explained, intentionally making his voice slow so as to be condescending.

"He's right." Jesse said simply, her face pale.

"Great, glad we can agree on something. So how about you tell me why you three are here, and not in the Viridian City prison?" Ash asked the three.

"And why should we tell you?" Meowth asked him.

"Because if you don't, I'll have Pikachu use Surf on you three. You'll be thrown down this cave, probably break a few bones as you are thrown against the walls, and then the rock Pokemon that will get mad from the water will break even more." Ash told them. Now all three of their faces were pale.

"You..."

"are..."

"scary..." Jesse, James, and Meowth said, in that order.

"Only to Pokemon thieves." Ash said. James gulped and started talking.

"After you beat us back in Viridian City, we got sprung from jail and were sent to Cerulean City. Then we got beaten there by some twerp girl about your age with her Venasaur. Then-" James was saying, when he was interrupted by Ash.

"Wait, about my age? Was she wearing a wide-brimmed hat?" Ash asked, floored.

"That's her. I guess you know her?" James asked, confused. Ash groaned.

_How does Leaf already have a fully-evolved starter? __It's only been a few weeks,_ Ash thought. "Go on."

"Well, after that we got sent to Mount Moon. We got told by the boss to mine some moon stones for Team Rocket's Nidorinos and Nidorinas. So we've been going through this mountain trying to find moon stones, and then finally found some here. And now you're here." James finished. Pikachu looked at Ash, and they both realized the absurdity of the situation. It was almost like they were having a friendly chat, trainer and thief.

"Well, thanks for telling me that." Ash said nonchalantly. "So... what to do with you three?"

"You could let us go since we aren't stealing Pokemon." Jesse offered.

"Sure. And just let you take the moon stones and use them to make Team Rocket more powerful." Ash said, unamused.

"Do ya have a better idea?" Meowth asked him nervously.

"I could go back to the "break your bones" idea. I really hate Pokemon thieves." Ash said, his cheerful demeanor quickly returning to his threatening demeanor. The trio looked at each other, wondering how they got stuck with the bipolar trainer.

"Maybe we could work something out?" James offered. Ash thought for a second, and then smiled.

"Bring me back into the main tunnel. Come with me to the exit, and then I'll let you run away." Ash said, neglecting to inform them about the Ranger detachment outside the mountain.

"Great!" Jesse said sweetly, already imagining trying to ambush Ash when he let his guard down.

"You'll be walking ahead of me, and if you try to hurt me I'll have Weedle by my side." Ash said. The three started laughing.

"Sure, return your Pikachu and send out your Weedle." Jesse said. Ash sent out his Weedle.

"Weedle, this is the three Team Rocket members I told you about from Viridian. Use Poison Sting on that wall." Ash said, pointing to the left of the three. Weedle pointed its tail at the wall and started firing stingers, the Poison Sting looking like a poison rainstorm of death against the wall. The same jackhammer sound that Weedle had produced against Brock's Geodude resonated through the cave, causing the three Rockets to nearly jump.

"Stop Weedle." Ash said, his ears ringing from the noise. Weedle stopped to reveal a depression in the cave wall that hadn't been there earlier.

"Don't insult my friends." Ash said.

Ash was led through the tunnels for about an hour, finally making it to the main tunnel again. From there, they walked on a bit longer, and eventually made it to the exit.

"After you." Ash instructed them. They went outside first, not having a choice. Ash went out after them, only to find himself suddenly grabbed.

"Nobody threatens Team Rocket!" Jesse said triumphantly. Ash found himself on the edge of a small cliff, with about a thirty foot drop. Pikachu and Weedle growled, but found themselves unable to do anything lest Ash fall. It was then he noticed Brock, Misty, and Cynthia talking to a Pokemon Ranger.

"Hey guys, a little help?" Ash yelled. The four of them noticed Ash and suddenly scurried over to help him. Brock sent out his Onix, and suddenly the thirty foot drop was negated to about five feet before Onix would catch Ash.

"More twerps! And a ranger too." Meowth complained. Ash suddenly heard a roar of water and he felt himself released, only to land somewhat painfully on Onix. He looked back and saw the Rockets being knocked down the cliff by the Surf like a water slide, yelling "We're surfing off again!"

Onix lowered Ash down slowly, before going back up to get his Pokemon. Misty suddenly slammed into him, hugging him.

"Wha-" Ash said, when Misty spoke.

"You idiot, do you know how worried we were?" Misty said, gripping him tightly. He started to blush, feeling Misty's body on him.

"Didn't know you were so worried about me Misty." Ash said teasingly. She suddenly released him and hit him over the head with her mallet.

"You dummy!" Misty said before walking away, her face red. Cynthia, Brock, and the ranger walked over to him.

"It's good to see you're alright." Brock said. Cynthia nodded.

"Yeah, we were talking to that ranger so that he could organize a search party for you." Cynthia said.

"Wow, you guys were that worried about me?" Ash asked them. Brock nodded.

"Of course. Some people go missing in there for days." Brock answered. Ash thought about being stuck, wandering in that cave for days, and running out of food. He shuddered.

"Ok, I'll take a statement from him." The ranger said into his earpiece, having messaged another ranger to come pick up the three Team Rocket members.

"You look familiar." The ranger said, frowning. Then he remembered.

"Wait, you're the boy who protected the Viridian Center Pokemon Center from attack. And you're the guy who wrecked Brock with that cool Pikachu of yours." The ranger said, extending his hand. "Herald Berman, at your service." Ash shook the rangers hand, taking note of the man's giant stature.

"Um, thanks, but how did you know about that?" Ash asked, while Brocks dark rain cloud returned.

"The center's camera caught you on film wrecking those Team Rocket people, and your battle with Brock aired on the Kanto Battle Network. I hear there's a couple of agents looking around, trying to get you sponsored. And a lot of breeders want to see if your Pikachu can pass on those moves it knows." Harold told Ash.

"I don't think so." Ash said, the thought of publicity scaring him. Pikachu gulped at the idea of being used for breeding stock. Harold shrugged.

"Guess it's none of my business. So can you tell me what happened in there?" Harold asked. Ash nodded and started explaining, with Cynthia, Misty, and Brock listening in.

"Great. We'll get your contact information if we need to call you." The ranger said. They said their goodbyes and departed.

* * *

They finally arrived in Cerulean City the next day. Misty had been quiet all of yesterday, still embarrassed over what Ash had said (him unaware of the significance), but now she was back to her usual complaining self.

"I hate this city!" Misty yelled.

"Then don't go in it. According to the map there's about eight roads radiating from Cerulean, so just take one." Cynthia told her.

"I don't think so. You're just trying to lose me." Misty retorted. Ash turned around to face Misty.

"I can call my mom and see if your bike's fixed yet. If it is, I have the money to pay for it to be sent to whatever Pokemon Center you want it at." Ash told her. Cynthia smiled as Misty went pale in fear. Brock too had figured out what Misty's deal was with Cynthia, having talked privately with each other about it the day before. He watched the two like the show they were.

"Or do you just want to keep traveling with us?" Ash asked.

"W-why would I want to travel with you?" Misty stammered. Ash shrugged.

"Pikachu said that you wanted to. Or at least, I think he did. He kept making this hand motion." Ash said, miming what was to Misty's horror and to Brock and Cynthia's delight a blow-job motion. Ash's hand was gripping an imaginary penis and he was bobbing his head up and down. "He might have just wanted ketchup though. I can't figure out what that's supposed to mean." Pikachu was nearly falling off of Ash's shoulder, laughing hard. Misty was so mortified that she couldn't even glare at the mouse, or even figure out how Pikachu knew what a blow-job was.

"So, Ash, what are we doing here? You haven't told us a thing, and I'm kind of interested where we're going next." Brock said, deciding to save Misty from the embarrassment. Misty mouthed Brock a _thank you_.

"I'm going to challenge the Cerulean Gym. I want to beat everyone of the great eight gym leaders." Ash said confidently.

"You know, I hear the new Cerulean gym leaders suck. You don't want to even bother battling them!" Misty told Ash, going back to trying to convince him not to enter Cerulean, or at least leave as fast as possible.

"Doesn't matter. They're still one of the great eight, and I want to beat each one." Ash said.

"It's actually good for Ash if it's an easy win. It'll help him with the Indigo League Tournament registration." Cynthia said, referring to how the Indigo League entrance rules were organized. Each gym in Kanto was given a certain ranking every five years, with an amount of points befitting the ranking. The weakest gyms were only worth a point or two, while the great eight were worth about a dozen. Trainers were required to get at least eight gym badges, and then they would be filtered based on how many points they had. In the end, 256 trainers with the most points would be entered into the actual tournament. If a trainer was to beat the top eight gym leaders, or do something worth gaining a badge from them, the trainer would be guaranteed a place in the tournament by virtue of mathematical superiority in score.

"It's dangerous in Cerulean City!" Misty suddenly switched to. "There are mean evil ghosts in there, blahhhhhhhh." She opened her mouth as wide as possible and stuck her tongue out, and attempted to make an evil glare.

"Good. Maybe one will want to go with me. I've always wanted a Jellicent." Ash said.

"I never heard of that Pokemon. What is it?" Brock said.

"Ash, I thought we weren't doing any 5th generation Pokemon." Cynthia said, surprised.

"We aren't. This is just a belated attempt to break the fourth wall for comedic value and to tell the reader this." Ash said. They all took a moment to appreciate the existential crisis.

"Is there anything else we should say before repairing the fourth wall?" Misty said, looking at you.

"The author would like to thank MidnightFenrir for providing interesting conversation in a series of PMs." I said.

The sound of glass snapping back into place could be heard.

* * *

They entered the city, Misty telling them that she would remain inside the Pokemon Center. Brock informed them that he had to go do something, not saying what. Soon it was just Ash and Cynthia at the training field outside the Pokemon Center.

"So Ash, what is your plan for these gym leaders?" Cynthia asked him. Ash shrugged.

"I don't know. The former gym leaders died four years ago, and I haven't seen any of their replacements battles aired on T.V. From what I gathered from their parent's battling style, they used the gym pools heavily, so I'm going to assume they do too. They probably have a ground-water counter for Pikachu, so I'll have Weedle and Butterfree battle. I want to teach Weedle this Electroweb move you talked about. As for Butterfree..." Ash trailed off and checked his pokedex.

"_Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokemon. Records show that Butterfree is currently in good health. Genetic records indicate that this Butterfree knows the following moves: __Confusion, Stun Powder, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Tackle, String Shot, Gust, Supersonic, Ominous Wind, Twister, __Giga Drain__. Twister, __Ominous Wind, __Giga Drain__ are__ egg move__s__."_

"That's cool, I didn't know that Butterfree knew those three moves." Ash commented. "Ok, I'll practice those moves with Butterfree and teach Weedle Electroweb."

Soon the training was underway. Mini-tornadoes soon started flying across the field, followed by cyclones of purple energy. Butterfree put his all into the attacks, trying to figure out how to move his wings to maximize power.

Weedle was not doing as well.

"My pokedex says something about Electroweb using synthesized electricity in your nervous system. I'm not sure what a nervous system is, or what it does, so we are just going to have Pikachu shock you a little bit until you're firing webs that are glowing yellow." Ash said to the quivering Weedle. It was only after a few hours of being cooked medium rare that Weedle was able to pull off the move.

"Good job Weedle." Ash said, patting his Pokemon. Brock came outside and announced dinner, so Ash picked up and carried his exhausted Pokemon to the bowls of food and water Brock had made.

"Where's Misty?" Ash asked.

"She's not coming out of her room in the Pokemon Center. I don't know why." Cynthia said. "You know, we could ditch Misty after the gym battle tomorrow. Since she's stuck in the room, she won't know we're gone until we are halfway to Vermillion. And since she doesn't have a bike..."

"No, she's actually grown on me. Misty can be pretty cool when she's not angry." Ash said.

"I'll take that as a compliment Ketchum." Misty said, walking outside to grab some food.

"It's good to see you out of there." Brock told her. Misty snorted.

"It'll be even better when we get out of this city." Misty replied. They ate in silence for a minute or two until Misty spoke.

"So Ash, which Pokemon are you using in your gym battle?" Misty asked him. "Besides Pikachu." Ash forced the food in his mouth down and spoke.

"I'm not using Pikachu." Ash replied.

"Why not? If he can take down my Onix, he can take down water Pokemon." Brock asked him, confused.

"I have a strategy planned for this gym. Just trust me." Ash said. They bugged him, trying to make him come clean, but Ash refused to talk about it.

* * *

The next day, Ash stood outside the gym with Pikachu. Cynthia and Brock had decided on visiting landmarks around Cerulean City, such as the lighthouse, although Brock had expressed remorse at not being able to meet the gym leaders for some reason. Misty had gone back to staying in her room.

"Sorry Pikachu, I told you that I'm using Butterfree and Weedle. I know that you have strong moves. But Weedle can drown their water Pokemon in web as much as they can Weedle with water. And Butterfree will be useful for flying above their Pokemon and nailing them with his wind attacks." Ash explained to the sullen mouse. Pikachu nodded affirmatively, if reluctantly, and Ash entered the gym.

He was met by a large stage, with a huge crowd watching three women doing synchronized swimming. Music was blaring. It didn't look like any gym, that was for sure.

"Come on Pikachu, let's try looking around in here. Maybe the gym is connected to this performance hall or something." Ash said. Before he could react, Pikachu suddenly hit Ash's pokeballs and released Butterfree and Weedle.

"What was that for Pikachu?" Ash asked. However, Pikachu was done paying attention to Ash at this point, and was busy watching the swimming along with Weedle and Butterfree.

"_It's beautiful. It's like they're beautiful butterflies in the water, flapping their wings and flying through the water._" Butterfree said, waxing poetic.

"_Thank you Pikachu, for releasing us to watch this._" Weedle said, his eyes sparkling. Ash tried to grab Pikachu, but found himself quickly shocked by the mouse. Pikachu didn't even bat an eye at Ash, still entranced by the show.

"_Of course. I wasn't going to let a gym battle tear me away from this. Especially one I'm not battling in._" Pikachu told them.

And so, Ash was forced to wait a few minutes while his Pokemon watched the three women swim with intensity.

Finally, the show ended. Ash took this opportunity to head toward a random door that he spotted, heedless of any concerns about intruding somewhere he shouldn't.

Ash found himself in a hallway, surrounded by an aquarium. Non-Pokemon fish swam in the tank, frolicking. It was beautiful, but Ash was here for a badge.

"That was our best show yet." Ash spotted the three women from earlier walking down the hallway as they talked to each other. One was a bluenette, one was a blonde, and one had pink hair.

"I know, and the audience we drew in was amazing."

"Yah, totally."

"Um, excuse me." Ash said, walking toward them.

"If you want to interview us, like talk to our manager." The bluenette of the group told Ash, her voice drawling in a valley girl accent.

"I'm not here for an interview, I'm Ask Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm here for a gym battle. Do you know where the gym leader is?" Ash asked them.

"You're looking at them." The pink haired one said.

"We're the Sensational sisters." The blonde finished. Ash looked at them confused for a second, and then decided to speak.

"Well, I challenge you three to a gym battle." Ash told them confidently. They looked at each other and, to Ash's surprise sighed.

"Now I wish you were looking for an interview. We don't really do battles anymore." The blonde one told him. Ash was floored.

"But you have to, I thought you said you were gym leaders?" Ash asked them, wondering what the heck was happening. This was supposed to be one of the great eight gyms!

"Like, we haven't been feeling it. We keep getting beaten, and then a few days ago some trainers from Pallet Town wiped us out." The pink haired one explained. "One had a Venusaur that could swim. A Venusaur!" Ash groaned internally again. Leaf had swept through the gym already, and from the sound of it, so had Gary.

"But I know what you want." The blonde said. She reached into her bathing suit and pulled out a teardrop shaped badge. "It's the Cascade badge. We'll just say that you helped us with something when the League asks us." Ash suddenly grew angry.

"You're telling me that you three lead one of the top gyms in Kanto and you act like this?" Ash said, confusing the three.

"We're probably going to retire as gym leaders. Like, our record has sucked in the past month." The pink one said, shrugging.

"Yah, and we'll totally make a splash doing water ballet." The blonde one said. They started to laugh in unison at the small pun.

"But I wanted to battle." Ash said, disappointed.

"A badge is a badge. Just take it." The blonde told him. "If you're disappointed over it, I can make it up to you later." Her face twisted from apathetic laziness to a look of hunger.

"Not so fast!" A voice rang out. Ash turned around and found himself facing Misty.

"You three should be ashamed that you're handing out badges like that for nothing." Misty said angrily.

"Wow Misty, surprise surprise. Didn't expect to see you back so soon. Are you already a Water Pokemon Master?" The blonde asked. A vein twitched on Misty's forehead.

"I didn't want to come here, but he made me." Misty said, pointing to Ash.

"I can see why you followed him. Would you mind sharing?" Daisy asked, pulling on Ash's arm. Ash started to feel uncomfortable, as if he was a Pikachu and Daisy was a very hungry Arbok.

"No, I won't. I mean, it's not like that." Misty told them angrily, her face blushing in anger and embarrassment.

"Misty, how do you know them?" Ash asked, taking advantage of Daisy laughing at Misty to detach himself from her grasp.

"I'll have you know that I'm the fourth Sensational sister." Misty said confidently. Daisy snickered.

"More like there are three Sensational sisters, and one runt." Daisy commented. Misty growled.

"I don't see you battling. Ash, if you want the Cascade badge, you'll have to go through me." Misty told him.

"Well I guess if she's willing to battle you, then you'll get your battle." Daisy said.

"Ok, but don't complain too much when I beat you Misty." Ash said, provoking her.

"Grr, you watch yourself Ketchum." Misty said angrily.

They went to a pool, which was a standard League water arena. There were spots of land for normal Pokemon to stand on, but most of it was water. Ash sent out Weedle on one of these dry spots.

"Misty calls out Staryu." Misty announced, sending out her Pokemon.

"Like, let the battle begin." Daisy announced loudly.

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin and hit Weedle." Misty yelled. Staryu started spinning and flew toward Weedle.

"Weedle, into the water." Ash announced to everyone's surprise. Ash had planned this earlier. Weedle jumped into the water and started swimming around in it slowly while Staryu went overhead.

"Curve around and hit Weedle in the water." Misty commanded. Staryu curved back in a long arc toward Weedle.

"Grappling hook." Ash ordered. Weedle shot a line of silk at one of the platforms and pulled himself back onto land, Staryu barely missing the insect. Misty growled in frustration.

"Wow, like this kid is humiliating Misty." Violet said as she filed her nails.

"I know, and she calls us out for not battling him." Lily commented.

"Fine, you want to be like that? Staryu, use the water and then hit Weedle with Tackle." Misty ordered.

"Electroweb." Ash commanded right as Staryu was about to approach Weedle from the water. Weedle spat the glowing web at Staryu, causing Staryu to flop weekly out of the water from the gathered momentum it had before falling back in.

"Rapid Spin Staryu." Misty commanded. Staryu managed to hear her and used the move, throwing some of the silk off its body.

"Weedle, cocoon yourself." Ash ordered, thinking back to a tactic he had discussed with Weedle back at the Pokemon Center. Ash hadn't taken the time to see if Weedle could pull it off, but he had faith in his Pokemon. Weedle's mouth practically exploded with silk, coating itself and becoming a misshapen lump. It left a lump that was about three times as large as Weedle was originally.

"You're forgetting something Ash. Staryu, cut into that cocoon and hit Weedle with Water Gun." Misty said, thinking that Ash was trying to cushion the physical blows with the cocoon. Staryu lodged itself into the cocoon as hard as possible and started pumping water into it.. The high pressure stream ruptured the cocoon, water spilling out the sides.

"You better surrender Ash, I don't want Weedle to get too hurt or drown, even if it is a bug Pokemon." Misty commented. Ash merely grabbed the bill of his cap and turned it around.

"Weedle, Electroweb." Ash said. Weedle crawled out from the other side of the cocoon. Misty suddenly realized she'd been had. Weedle had actually climbed out of the cocoon the moment it had been made, and just waited on the other side. Ash had anticipated her reacting like she did, and having Staryu try to Water Gun Weedle. Now Staryu would need several seconds to free itself, which left Weedle free to concentrate on causing as much damage as possible.

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin to get out of there, quick." Misty yelled. Staryu started pulling, putting some stress on the silk holding it in place. But it wasn't fast enough. Weedle started shooting blobs of silk at Staryu that were crackling in electricity. Pikachu watched in pride as the webbing zapped Staryu painfully. Soon Staryu was buried under all of this, and Misty was uncannily reminded of Ash's battle with Brock. And like Brock and his Geodude, the struggling soon stopped.

"Staryu is unable to battle, so the worm wins." Daisy announced casually. Misty shot a dirty look at her sister before returning Staryu, who Weedle had freed from the silk.

"Don't think you're going to win that easily Ash. I choose you Starmie." Misty said, sending out the Staryu evolution.

"Weedle, return." Ash commanded. "Good job. Rest up now, I shouldn't need you." Ash didn't want Starmie hitting Weedle with it's psychic moves, since Weedle was part poison. He returned Weedle's pokeball to his belt and pulled out another pokeball.

"Go Butterfree." Ash said. Butterfree immediately flew as high as possible, only stopping a few feet away from the ceiling, where it hovered.

"If you think that's going to stop Starmie from reaching you, you're wrong. Starmie, go up there and use Confuse Ray." Misty ordered. Starmie flew up a lot faster than Staryu had earlier.

"Butterfree, use Confusion to redirect it slightly." Ash ordered. Butterfree barely managed to accomplish this, with Starmie missing him. However, unlike Staryu, Starmie redirected itself fast enough and hit Butterfree from behind. Butterfree lost it's balance and started falling.

"Butterfree, right yourself and then use Twister." Ash ordered. Butterfree did so, forcing Starmie to dodge out of the way rather than continue the assault.

"Starmie, use Rapid Spin and then Water Gun at Butterfree." Misty said, trying to get Butterfree's wings too wet and force it into the pool.

"Gust." Ash said, rightly guessing what Misty was trying to accomplish. The powerful wind managed to knock the water away before Starmie could hit Butterfree.

"Ominous Wind." Ash said, trying to regain the offensive. He knew that in a battle of endurance, Starmie would win.

"What? Into the water Starmie." Misty said, trying to avoid the attack. She didn't know how Butterfree knew that move, but it would be bad for Starmie to be hit by it, since the move was ghost type and Starmie was part psychic.

"Keep using Ominous Wind." Ash ordered. Butterfree unleashed purple blasts of air that seemed to wail louder than normal wind.

"Stay in the water Starmie." Misty said in reply to this, watching the widespread move hit all over the arena. Starmie did as Misty said, and stayed underwater.

"Keep it suppressed." Ash said. Misty chuckled.

"Just stay in the water, he can't do a thing to you Starmie." Misty said. Ash smiled. Misty was capable of beating him, just like Brock was. He just kept getting underestimated was the problem for them. Plus, she was forgetting the secondary effects of Ominous Wind.

"Keep on doing it until you have to stop. Make sure you still have enough energy afterward to fly at normal speeds." Ash ordered. Misty watched this with an inkling of suspicion.

_What is he planning_, Misty thought. _He doesn't just do things like this just to do them. What can Ominous Win-_

"Starmie, use Bubblebeam!" Misty ordered. Starmie did so, but they burst upon the Ominous Wind. "Hydro Pump!" Misty tried. The solid blast of water ripped through the ghostly wind and hit Butterfree. She was sure that it would knock Butterfree out, but to her surprise Butterfree was still up, only glowing slightly purple. Butterfree had gotten that boost.

"Get in close and use Stun Spore." Ash ordered. Butterfree zoomed in, faster even though exhausted thanks to the Ominous Wind boost. Misty smiled, sure she had Butterfree right where she wanted him. She assumed Ash was trying to take advantage of the speed boost from Ominous Wind to pull off Stun Spore. The Stun Spore could be avoided easily by Starmie ducking shallowly in the water, where the effects would be negated. Then Starmie could jump out and hit Butterfree hard with Rapid Spin, and finish off Butterfree with another Hydro Pump at point blank range.

And then all confidence was shattered with Ash's next move.

"I lied, Giga Drain." Ash ordered. She watched to her horror as green tendrils of energy were sucked out of Starmies body, draining so hard that Starmie was actually lifted out of the water. Replenished, Butterfree used a Gust on instinct and sent Starmie flying at the wall. The jewel in the center of Starmie flickered, and then shut off. Everyone was silent for a second.

"Starmie is unable to battle, Ash from Pallet wins." Daisy ruled. Misty sighed and returned her Starmie, only to see her sisters clapping.

"Nice battle Misty." Lily called out.

"Yah, you've really improved." Violet said.

"And you cutie, you were awesome." Daisy said, pissing Misty off despite the complements from her other sisters.

"Gee, thanks." Ash said, returning Butterfree.

"Don't mention it. Say, I'm hungry. Why don't we go off and get some dinner together. My treat." Daisy said flirtatiously. Misty was furious now.

"What do you think you're doing?" Misty demanded angrily. Daisy winked.

"Just getting some food. So, what do you think _Ash_." Daisy said, walking over to Ash. Ash nearly jumped for joy.

"Sure." Ash said. Daisy smiled and grabbed Ashs hand. Suddenly Misty swooped in and grabbed the other.

"I'm coming along too." Misty said defiantly. Daisy scoffed.

"Like, ok, but you're paying for your own meal." Daisy said. Violet and Lily just stayed to the side, laughing at Misty as the two sisters walked out of the gym, both holding one side of Ash.

* * *

The next day, Ash stood outside they gym with Brock and Cynthia, having met up with them after staying the night at the gym. He could hear Misty yelling at her sisters, and then she came outside. To their surprise, Misty came out tears running down her face. She wasn't wearing her backpack.

"Guys, I'm sorry but I can't go with you all anymore." Misty said, not bothering to hide her tears.

"But why?" Brock asked, confused.

"My sisters want to stop battling. I don't want to see the gym lose its certification." Misty said, growling when she said "sisters". They were silent for a second when Ash spoke.

"I'll miss you." Ash said simply, hugging Misty. She took the hug freely, not blushing this time. After a few seconds, Misty forced herself to separate.

"I'll miss you too, even your dense head." Misty said, ruffling his hair. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"This dense head dominated you in the gym yesterday." Ash said playfully. Misty hit his arm.

"Don't get too cocky." Misty said. She turned to Cynthia.

"Keep his ego in check, we don't want it swelling up and exploding." Misty instructed Cynthia. Cynthia nodded respectfully in response, not mentioning how everyone else had been underestimating him, rather. They all said their goodbyes and started walking away, when to Misty's everliving horror Daisy poked her head out the door and yelled after them.

"Hey Ash, last night when you were with Misty and I was great! Feel free to come back again for round two." Daisy called. Cynthia started giggling, her cheeks red in embarrassment, while Brock grabbed Ash's shoulders.

"Ash, this is very important. What did you do with them last night?" Brock begged Ash, shaking him by the shoulders and knocking Pikachu off of his perch. Ash just shrugged and upon escaping Brock's grasp picked up Pikachu and strutted away whistling.

* * *

_Last night..._

"And that is how you tell the difference between whether a girl likes you or wants to have fun in bed." Daisy explained to Ash nonchalantly. Ash was listening intently, his food forgotten. Misty just sat to the side slightly embarrassed at the conversation.

"Ok, and if she wants to have fun with me...?" Ash asked.

"That's when you use a condom." Daisy said. Ash nodded.

"Ok, I think I get it now." Ash said. They had spent the last half hour with Daisy giving instruction to Ash about dating and girls when she realized that Ash didn't know a thing about the subject. Daisy may have been a natural flirt, but she refused to go after someone as vulnerable as Ash was. She couldn't say anything about the next time around, however.

"I can't believe your mom never taught you this. What did she teach you about dating?" Daisy asked him. Ash shrugged.

"When I asked her she just told me to give her grandchildren." Ash said absentmindedly. Misty nearly choked on her salad at the comment.

* * *

**Authors note: I know that Butterfree doesn't actually have egg moves that it passes on. But fuck it. **


	5. The Violence of Humans

**Authors Note: ****Now Ash can start getting more Pokemon! Oh boy, sounds fun. ****Even better is how the plot can start evolving. I think you guys are going to like this. Finally, I have a question. I previously decided that Ash would probably not get a Ninetales, but I saw a really good picture of one on Reddit and decided that giving him one would be fun. However, if I gave him a Ninetales I wouldn't have it battle. What do you think?**

* * *

Weedle slammed its stinger against Pidgey, the appendage glowing purple with the power of an unfired Poison Sting. Pidgey was knocked back by the attack and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Aww man, second loss today." The bird keeper said, returning his Pidgey. "And to a Weedle too."

"_What's with everyone underestimating me?_" Weedle said as Ash put him on his non-occupied shoulder as a reward for winning the battle.

"_Probably the fact that you can only learn four moves._" Pikachu noted. _"Or maybe because most Weedle aren't as good as you._" Weedle blushed from the compliment.

Ash had been battling trainers on the way to Vermillion City, taking advantage of the large amount on the route. He was having Weedle battle aggressively and up close now, trying to create a style for the Pokemon that involved more than firing String Shot and then injecting with poison via Poison Sting. So far it was working out well.

"You know, I bet you could take on A.J." The trainer noted. Ash's ears perked up.

"Who's A.J.?" Ash asked.

"He's a really strong trainer well-known around here. He supposedly has 98 victories." The bird keeper told him.

"Sounds like a challenge." Ash said excitedly. The bird keeper pointed Ash toward A.J. and they went on their way.

A few minutes later, the group found themselves at the arena. It was a large fenced compound. There was a huge scoreboard jutting into the sky that read **98 Wins 0 Losses**.

"This guy seems interesting. Especially with the fake gym setup here." Brock said.

"I'm kind of interested how good he is though, especially since he supposedly has 98 victories." Cynthia noted. "Do you think you can give him a challenge?" She asked Ash teasingly, not serious.

"I doubt it." A man said, walking out of a building that was in the compound, having heard their conversation. "The name's A.J." His voice had a heavy country accent, indicating he probably came from farms down in southern Kanto.

"Ash." Ash said, shaking his hand. Cynthia watched this exchange, and was struck by something. Both had a cold sort of aura around them as they spoke, ready to battle. It wasn't some magical force, rather it was the impression they gave. It seemed like they were watching each other like opposing predators. Cynthia thought for a second of her dead Charmander, and wondered to herself if she would have been as good a trainer as Ash was with his Pokemon. A familiar clenching sensation appeared in her chest at the thought of Charmander.

"I hope you're ready to lose." A.J. said scathingly, gauging Ash's reaction. Ash's eyes grew cold in response, but he didn't say anything as a response. A.J. smiled. This would be a good battle.

"Rules?" Ash asked. A.J. nodded.

"1 vs. 1. No switching, and no moves like Whirlwind or Roar that force switching. You'll have to deal with getting a little dust in your collar, my arena isn't shielded. Don't be a crybaby." A.J. listed.

"Sounds good. Mind if I use area moves?" Ash asked him. A.J. smiled.

"Go ahead." A.J. said gracefully. "Just point away from me with them." Ash nodded in confirmation and they both took separate sides of the field.

"I don't have a fancy referee, so let's just send out our Pokemon and begin the moment both are out." A.J. told Ash. Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder, and then Weedle on the other.

"Sorry Weedle, but I've been using you and Butterfree in each battle. Let's give Pikachu a shot." Ash said. Weedle nodded gratefully. This A.J. reminded him of his own trainer, and not in the good way. Weedle went over to the side of the arena to sit out the battle.

"Go, Sandshrew." A.J. said. Sandshrew came out of the pokeball rolling, and got itself into a battle stance. Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder and did the same. The field was silent for a second, when Sandshrew suddenly used Magnitude. The ground shook, knocking Pikachu off of his feet.

"Sand Tomb." A.J. ordered.

"Agility Pikachu." Ash ordered in reply. Pikachu zoomed away before the sand tornado could trap it. "Good job buddy, Extremespeed." Pikachu blasted forward and slammed into Sandshrew, sending the Pokemon flying off the field. Sandshrew quickly curled itself into a ball and rolled back onto the field. A.J. internally cursed- even with all the speed training that his Sandshrew had done, it couldn't chase Pikachu unless at a full speed Rollout. And that wouldn't happen with Pikachu bothering it with Extremespeed. He quickly came up with a different plan.

"Dig Sandshrew." A.J. ordered.

"Agility into Double Team." Ash said in reply, trying to get Pikachu fast enough and evasive enough for Sandshrew to miss. To his horror, Sandshrew wasn't affected by the Double Team or the Agility, ignoring the fast-moving clones and hitting the fast-moving original.

"Slash while it's in the air." A.J. said. Sandshrew jumped up at Pikachu, and spiraled downward toward the mouse.

"Pikachu, block it with Iron Tail." Ash ordered. However, it wasn't fast enough, and Pikachu was hit by the Slash. Pikachu slammed into the ground, barely able to get up.

"Wow, Ash is actually getting trouble from this guy." Brock commented, watching the battle intently. Cynthia nodded.

"They both have that look." She said.

"What do you mean?" Brock asked.

"They have the same look when they battle." Cynthia explained. Brock looked at them carefully, but couldn't see it. Then again, he could never see much of anything with his eyes.

"Pikachu, use Fly." Ash said, trying to get back on the offensive.

"Dig Sandshrew." A.J. ordered, thinking that the "Fly" was actually Magnet Rise or something in preparation for another attack. Needless to say, Pikachu flying far into the sky shocked him greatly.

The battlefield was quiet for a few seconds, when Pikachu swooped back down, slowly coming to a stop in midair, gently flapping its tail. A.J. watched this for a few seconds, and got frustrated. They were going to make Sandshrew pop out and attack it somehow.

"Sandshrew, Sandstorm." A.J. said, both trying to give Sandshrew some coverage and injure Pikachu somewhat.

"Drown it Pikachu." Ash said. A.J. looked as Pikachu landed and formed a large wave of water. Sandshrew popped out at the same time with a large sandstorm forming around it. The two slammed into each other, sand and water, shrew and mouse. Dust, sand, and water droplets flew everywhere.

Ash and A.J. both held their breath, partly from excitement and partly from not wanting to get sand in their lungs. Eventually the sand settled enough to show what was the result.

Pikachu was back in the air, breathing hard. Sandshrew looked somewhat injured, but not as much as it would have been by a direct hit from the Surf. The sandstorm was gone, having been used by Sandshrew to block the attack somewhat.

"Sandshrew, use Sandstorm." A.J. ordered, trying to draw Pikachu in again. Ash wasn't about to humor him.

"Signal Beam Pikachu." Ash said. The attack hit Sandshrew before it could form the attack enough, leaving sand dropping back onto the ground and Sandshrew clutching its head in agony from the shot.

"Stop being a baby Sandshrew, Swift." A.J. said.

"Swift." Ash said in reply. Yellow stars flew from both Pokemon, exploding in between them.

"Agility, then Extremespeed." Ash said, recognizing Pikachu straining to unleash the Swift. He wanted to go straight into Extremespeed, but with Pikachu's exhaustion he needed the build-up Agility offered first.

"Get ready Sandshrew..." A.J. said. His Sandshrew had been pushed further than he ever thought possible by this trainer. But he felt sure that Sandshrew could win this. They had been training for months to get ready for this kind of moment. Plus, Sandshrew had the perfect move for this situation...

"NOW PIKACHU!" Ash roared.

"Gyro ball." A.J. said confidently. A second later, Ash realized his mistake, but knew it was too late to do anything.

Gyro ball was stronger the slower the user was than the target. Pikachu had used Agility three times this match, as well as starting out faster in the first place.

A yellow blur shot toward Sandshrew, and the Sandshrew took the shape of a grey spinning ball. The two clashed, dust flying everywhere. Ash waited for the dust to clear so he could go into the arena. He already knew the results.

Sandshrew stood victorious over Pikachu.

Ash went over to Pikachu and picked him up, thanking him quietly and taking a Potion out of his bag. A.J. did the same. Both trainers were silent for a short time, and then A.J. spoke.

"That was a good battle kid." A.J. told Ash. Ash looked up and smiled.

"Same." Ash said. A.J. smiled back.

"That was a nice battle you two." Brock said, speaking up. "A.J., can I see what you feed your Sandshrew? It looks really healthy."

"Sure thing. It's my own special recipe." A.J. said, showing them inside to the building. It looked like a small gym (the exercise kind) inside, with Pokemon straining themselves doing various activities. A Butterfree and Beedrill were flying around carrying weights. Several Rattata were running circles around a very small track. In a corner, a Pidgey and a Spearow were lifting weights with their wings. Weights of various sizes were piled up against a wall, along with a few treadmills. A tiny pool was positioned against a wall. In the center of the far side wall from the entrance was a bed, with a shelf over it that had various junk on on it, most noticeably a whip.

"This is a strange setup you have here." Ash said. "Although I love the weights. Where do you get them?" Ash asked A.J. Pikachu and Weedle, the latter of which was still out of his pokeball sweat-dropped, thinking Ash was planning something for them involving these weights.

"I order them specially. I'm training my Pokemon into top shape, and then I'm going to challenge the Pokemon League." A.J. told Ash.

"What's with the whip? Do you use them on your Pokemon?" Cynthia asked A.J., suspicious of the implement. A.J. shook his head.

"No. I used to crack it to get my Pokemon's attention, like a coach uses a whistle. But then some sore losers falsely reported me for Pokemon abuse, so I stopped using it." A.J. explained. He opened a door and lead them inside.

The room was lined with Pokemon food. Every jar was labeled with a picture of a Pokemon, with at least two for each that A.J. had.

"I carefully moderate my Pokemon's diets to make sure that they get all the nutrients and calories that they need. Of course, it's my own secret recipe." A.J. said bragging. Brock nodded.

"Interesting. You know, I create my own Pokemon food as well. I..." Brock started discussing ways he made Pokemon food while Cynthia went over to Ash, who had finished looking at the food and was now looking at A.J.'s Sandshrew.

"Everything alright?" Cynthia asked him.

"His Sandshrew is strong. I need to get a lot better. I know for a fact that both him and I wouldn't last one second in the Indigo League." Ash said. Cynthia nodded.

"Are you hurt by the loss?" Cynthia asked him, carefully measuring his reaction.

"What? Of course not. He's really good. I've beaten two of the great eight gyms, but I'm not going to kid myself and say that makes me amazing, especially since both of them involved a simple underestimation on the gym leader's part.. I have a lot of room to grow still." Ash said. They were silent for a second when Ash spoke again.

"You know, it's strange. Whenever we're walking from place to place, you ask me about my feelings in a battle. You always ask me about the strategies I used. I remember on the way here you asked me about what I was doing with my Weedle." Ash said.

"What are you getting at?" Cynthia asked him slowly, suddenly getting the vision of Misty in Pewter City, when she herself had interrogated the girl.

"You want to be a Pokemon Master too. Or at least, be a professional trainer." Ash guessed. Cynthia shook her head.

"I used to." Cynthia said, untruthfully. In truth, she still did. She wanted to train in Kanto, challenge gyms, and eventually go back to Sinnoh to challenge the league there. She wanted to have victories and losses, like Ash did. She wanted to have Pokemon to send out, like Ash did.

Ash suddenly leaned in and gave her a hug. Cynthia was shocked by what Ash was doing, but didn't push him away.

"I know you're still guilty about Charmander, but I bet you would make a great trainer." Ash said into her ear. Cynthia's stomach clenched at the mention of her Pokemon. Once again, the vivid memory of the torn-apart lizard filled her brain.

No, it hurt her too much to think of getting a new Pokemon.

"Ash, know that you're trying to help, but..." Cynthia started to say, when A.J. and Brock came out from the storage room, having exchanged tips on preparing Pokemon food.

"Well, look at the two lovebirds." A.J. said mockingly. Cynthia realized with a blush that she was still in Ash's arms.

"It's... not..." Cynthia said, her shyness getting in the way of her interactions again. Yet another thing that held Cynthia back as a person.

"Heheh, just teasing you." A.J. said, mistaking Cynthia's problem with speaking to strangers as embarrassment.

"Well, thanks for the battle A.J., but I think I'm going to be heading off to Vermillion City again." Ash said.

"Thanks for giving me a challenge." A.J. said. They all said their goodbyes and departed.

An hour later, a woman stopped outside the compound. She raised the brim of her hat and looked at the scoreboard that read **99 ****Wins**** 0 ****L****osses** disapprovingly, tutting to herself.

"Hello, I'm here for a battle." Leaf said. A.J. came out of the building, giving her the same treatment that he gave Ash in preparation for the battle.

A few minutes later, Sandshrew was lying on the ground, covered in cuts and bruises. Leaf returned her Venusaur and walked away from the shocked A.J., not even giving him a second look.

"Damn. Let's get you rested up." A.J. said, pulling out a Super Potion for this situation. He shook his head. It hadn't been a battle, it had been a slaughter. He had tried to order Earthquake, but her Venusaur had just taken the hit and, to A.J.'s horror bombarded Sandshrew with Frenzy Plant. Sandshrew had come out of the attack incredibly beaten up but still standing. The battle had just gone worse for him from there.

"Did a trainer with a strong Pikachu come through here." Leaf suddenly asked, still facing away from the surprised A.J.

"Yah. You know him?" A.J. asked, a bit curious about their connection. It wasn't everyday that he battled people like these two.

"For better or worse." Leaf said. She paused for a second, and then spoke again. "Your Sandshrew was good, if you don't mind shit." A.J. was about to yell when Leaf spoke again.

"Get better and you'll earn the right to talk back to me." Leaf said as she walked away. A.J. tried to say something, but couldn't come up with a comeback. By the time he could say something in response, Leaf was already out of earshot.

* * *

The group was lost again. For Brock, the move had been accidental, but so far Cynthia was refusing to correct it and Ash was laughing it off.

"Come on Ash, help me with Cynthia. We've been on the road for a week now, don't you want to get to Vermillion City for your next gym battle?" Brock asked Ash.

"Nah, like Misty said, I have a few months. Besides, I need some more Pokemon." Ash said. They had been walking around in the forest for a day now, and so far Ash had asked ten different Pokemon if they could go with him. So far he had been refused or just ignored.

"It's the journey, not the destination that is the most fun." Cynthia said wisely. Brock just shook his head. When he first started traveling with Ash and Cynthia (and Misty at the time) he thought he would end up being the navigator. So far Cynthia showed that she was light years ahead of Brock in that aspect.

"How do you even read maps that well?" Brock asked her in annoyance.

"My grandparents always brought me with them when they went on archeological digs. I got used to reading maps so I could find my way back after playing around in the area." Cynthia said. She thought back to the first time she had been brought along on a dig. She had gone to play in the forest, and it took her a few hours to find her way back to her grandparents.

"Are you interested in archeology?" Brock asked her, figuring he might as well make conversation while they were lost.

"Not archeology so much as mythology." Cynthia said. "A lot of the ancients modeled their religions around legendary Pokemon, and we've found so much about legendary Pokemon researching ancient texts. Plus, by looking at their religions I can get a portrait about their culture a lot more easily than I would by a long ancient history lesson."

"That sounds so cool! What can you tell me about Rayquaza?" Ash asked her excitedly.

"Why specifically Rayquaza?" Cynthia asked him, confused.

"Because it looks so cool!" Ash said excitedly. Cynthia was about to answer when they heard rustling in some bushes. They all looked, wondering what Pokemon would come out when an Oddish stumbled out. They would have laughed at its absurd motion, except for the fact that the Oddish was extremely burnt. Half of its leaves were missing, and the stumbling the Oddish had done was due to the missing part of its left leg. The wound had cauterized, but Oddish was injured regardless.

"What happened to it?" Cynthia asked in shock. Brock went over to Oddish and started pulling out medicine. A bottle of Burn Heal went over the shivering Oddish followed by a Hyper Potion, and then followed by heavy bandaging. Ash and Cynthia watched tensely, not saying a word. Memories of Cynthia's Charmander flew through the girl's head, while Cynthia's Charmander was only one of many images that flew through Ash's.

Brock finally spoke up, saying the words they were all thinking.

"What the heck happened to Oddish?" Brock said broodingly.

* * *

An emergency meeting had been called three days ago, straight from Indigo Plateau. Every gym leader was expected to attend it, either by computer conference or in person. Almost everyone attended in person, troubled by the recent revelations that had been made public.

"I'm sure you all know why we've called you. Last week Kanto News released a report on TV detailing the increased activity of Team Rocket, and reported on rumors that Team Rocket was actually planning a hostile takeover of Kanto." Lance said grimly. He paused for a second.

"We believe this to be true." He stated simply. Murmuring started to ripple through the room, and several gym leaders shifted uncomfortably or in the case of those calling talked to loved ones in the background.

"Normally, Team Rocket employs a steady movement of black market items. Pokemon are brought in, Pokemon are sold. The same goes for stolen goods. However, recently we have found that that these good are simply being accumulated. While this has had the plus side of severely hampering small time smuggling and Pokemon slavery, it also indicative of a large operation planned on Team Rocket's end. Since all known stationary legendary Pokemon are currently accounted for and already under increased guard in other regions, and since no other regions report serious attempts by Team Rocket to make a foothold in them, we assume the worst."

"This is additionally confirmed by sources we have inside Team Rocket." Agatha said, speaking up. "They say that grunts are being recalled and trained all around Kanto. The calm that Team Rocket is leaving behind is only before the storm. Therefore, we are taking precautionary methods. All gym leaders that are not currently trained in combat are to either visit combat instructors around the region or organize a time for the instructors to meet them at their city. The training will mainly be in command and defense, as well as in coordinating around civilians. The finer details will be generally circulated among you all tomorrow. Also, all gym leaders are not allowed to leave their respective city or town on vacation. The reasons should be obvious." Agatha paused to take a breath. "I should not have to stress the importance of this matter. If you have any questions, Prima will answer them."

Agatha bowed her head to indicate that she was done speaking. Soon questions started exploding toward Prima as she patiently answered each one, usually with "I don't know." Why would Team Rocket be making this bold move? Was there any lead on who were pulling the puppet strings? How could they know that the sources inside Team Rocket were accurate. And most importantly, how did Team Rocket have the resources, even with the large share it had of the black market, to attack and attempt to control the entire region of Kanto?

* * *

The Oddish was dead a few minutes after finding the group, its treatment too little too late. Brock, breathing heavily put it down on the ground.

"Do any of you smell smoke?" Brock asked, trying his best to sniff the air. Everyone, including Pikachu shook their head. "Then this means that a Pokemon did it. And since there aren't any fire type Pokemon that are native to the area, that probably indicates..."

"Team Rocket." Ash finished. He quickly sent out Weedle and Butterfree, followed by Brock's Geodude.

"Maybe not Team Rocket, but either way I don't want to face whoever did this. We should get out of here as soon as possible and call in Pokemon Rangers." Brock said. He checked his Pokegear, but it wasn't getting a signal in the forest they were in. He sighed and put it away.

"What about injured Pokemon? What if there's more?" Cynthia asked. "Where there's smoke there's fire."

"We can't risk it. I'm the only one combat-trained here, and even then it was only in self-defense and command. I don't have weapons training." Brock said. "If this was Pewter City, I'd be taking the initiative, but I don't have a near army of trainers here to command."

"We don't have to fight, I mean-" Cynthia started to say, when Ash spoke up.

"If it's Team Rocket, I'm fighting them." Ash said darkly, surprising both of them. He sent out Weedle and Butterfree.

"Ash, I know you've fought Team Rocket twice, but those three were jokes. I don't think you appreciate the situation you would be getting you and your Pokemon in. They kill people Ash. They kill Pokemon. And if they don't kill you or your Pokemon after beating you, they'll enslave you and make you work for Team Rocket, and they'll take your Pokemon and abuse them." Brock said strictly. Ash shrugged in response, which just made Brock angrier.

"Ash, I'm not letting you do this. Even if I have to drag you back to civilization." Brock said, getting closer to Ash.

"What do you think you'll gain by grabbing me, other than forcing a battle between my Pokemon and yours while a killer is loose in the forest?" Ash pointed out. Brock paused, realizing Ash had called his bluff.

"I'm going to find who did this, and hurt them. Catch up if you can." Ash said, running into the brush and running the direction the Oddish had come from.

Cynthia and Brock looked at each other, shocked.

"Did he just..." Cynthia began.

"The idiot." Brock roared. His slits (eyes) suddenly widened. He tackled Cynthia to the ground right as a Zubat zoomed over where Cynthia had just been, its teeth bared.

"Geodude, Graveler, take that Zubat down!" Brock yelled. They both slammed into the Zubat and started pounding into it, only to be redirected by Brock as he saw several more Zubat flying toward them.

* * *

"Pikachu, use Electroball, half power." Ash directed. The Zubat flying at them were hit right on target and went down, crackling and smoldering.

"I think these are scouts guys." Ash said to the three Pokemon. "I know that Team Rocket grunts are usually bad trainers, but I don't think they're this bad. Plus, their trainers aren't around, so they don't seem meant to do much."

"_How do you know that these aren't wild Pokemon?"_ Pikachu asked, elaborately miming to get his message across.

"If they were wild, they wouldn't be attacking right now. They only hunt at night, and are usually led by a pack leader. Since we aren't being attack by a Golbat or Crobat, it's someone or some group that's trying to discourage visitors. As well as..." Ash trailed off, hearing the snarl of dogs.

"Kill people who try to stop them." Ash finished. "Pikachu, use Light Screen. Butterfree, get ready to use that Whirlwind move we learned yesterday. Weedle, make a web with String Shot." They all complied. A faint light shone around all three of them as Pikachu used Light Screen three times. Butterfree flew above to use Whirlwind without blowing its trainer and Pokemon away. Weedle shot thin lines of silk around them, all connecting in a quickly-made web in the middle. Ash tensed up, hearing the sound of snarling and growling getting closer.

"More scouts... good." Ash said. No well-trained Pokemon would snarl and give its position away like that.

A Houndour burst forth from the brush, attempting to take out Ash first. Weedle reacted first due to it early warning system and shot a Poison Sting at its feet. A quick Swift from Pikachu followed by an Electroweb from Weedle knocked it out.

"Weedle, Butterfree, just act as support. Pikachu will blast them." Ash said, grabbing the bill of his hat and twisting it around. "Pikachu, send some electricity into the air. Let's draw them away from Brock and Cynthia."

Ash's mind was on overdrive. Weedle was the recon, Butterfree the delay, and Pikachu the assault. He called out attack after attack as more Zubat swarmed in.

"Pikachu, half power Thunderbolt. Again. Again." Ash kept ordering.

They were starting to burst forth in number, numbering dozens. A large amount of Zubat were in the air attempting to use Supersonic, only to be blown back by Butterfree and Whirlwind. Weedle was soon being ordered to use String Shot, annoying the Houndour trying to close in on the center, only for them to be shot by an Electroball, a Discharge, or a Thunderbolt.

"Butterfree, to the ground and use Ominous Wind. Pikachu, up in the air and use Discharge." Ash said, recognizing Butterfree struggling to maintain Whirlwinds against the encroaching Zubat. They did as ordered, and about 12 Zubat dropped to the ground. Soon Pikachu was flying into crowds of the Zubat, zipping through their ranks and shocking them. Soon all that remained was the Houndour, and they were pissed.

They all rushed at Ash, tired of being picked off one by one.

"Weedle, Poison Sting the ones on the left. Butterfree, Gust on my right." Ash said. They managed to pull this off, only leaving three Houndour. They all leaped at Ash and his Pokemon, only to be slammed back by Butterfree's Whirlwind. Pikachu zoomed down from the sky and finished them off with Thunderbolt.

"Regroup." Ash ordered, his pulse pounding. They all gathered around him, breathing somewhat hard. To his delight though, no one had taken damage.

"Good job everyone, we just took out about fifty Pokemon at once." Ash said proudly. His expression darkened again. "I probably shouldn't have left Brock back there. We should go see how he's doing. He probably got attacked as well." Ash felt some regret, only to be reminded of a memory of someone failing to take action soon enough.

_Two Dewgong lied on the ground, carved in half. Two adults were laid over them, blood trickling from their wounds, they too unmoving._ Ash took a deep breath and ran back toward Brock and Cynthia's location.

They hurried through the underbrush, trying to rectify the mistake. Pikachu was jumping from branch to branch, keeping an eye out from the elevated position, Weedle was on Ash's shoulder, and Butterfree floated close by. Pikachu suddenly pointed toward, yelling for Ash's attention. Ash saw this and hurried to where Pikachu was pointing.

It was a Bulbasaur fighting for its life. Zubat swarmed around it, going in with a Bite only to be swatted away. It was constantly holding one vine to its ear, trying to deal with the ear-splitting Supersonic attacks that it kept getting hit with. Ash looked over to Weedle.

"Electroweb." Ash said, wanting to save more of Pikachu's strength for whatever stronger Pokemon might be around. Weedle obliged and sent the Zubat crashing to the ground, struggling to escape the electrified webbing. Ash went over to the Bulbasaur, only to suddenly be nearly struck by some vines.

"Sorry!" Ash said suddenly, backing away a few steps. The Bulbasaur growled at him, watching carefully.

"You know, we just saved you. Can we have some thanks?" Ash asked. The Bulbasaur merely growled in response.

Ash thought for a second. He could just leave the Bulbasaur alone. However, he didn't want the Pokemon getting hurt (a dull sense of guilt resonated through Ash at the thought of that, as he remembered Brock and Cynthia), and he wanted the Pokemon's help. They might need all they help they could obtain.

"Those Zubat were attacking you. Does Team Rocket want you dead?" Ash asked Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur growled even more loudly in reply to Ash saying "Team Rocket". Good, now Ash knew for sure Team Rocket was their enemy in the forest.

"We're after Team Rocket, my Pokemon and I. Do you have any idea where they might be?" Ash asked Bulbasaur. The Bulbasaur gave Ash a distrustful glower, when Butterfree floated down and spoke with it for a second. After a short time, the Bulbasaur nodded and motioned for Ash to follow.

* * *

Brock and Cynthia crept through the forest as quietly as possible. They had seen a flash of electricity that they assumed was from Ash, but were too busy dealing with a pack of Houndour at the time.

"Christ Ash, why did you have to go off on your own." Brock murmured angrily, defeating the point of sneaking through the forest.

"Brock, be quiet." Cynthia reminded him. Brock complied, but still kept the angry look on his face. They crept on for another moment when Brock looked back at Cynthia and pointed ahead. Cynthia circled around and was shocked at what she saw.

Houndoom were walking through a couple of burnt out shells of buildings, digging their noses through the rubble. Two were busy tearing apart a carcass of what looked like a human women, before she was reduced to dog food. A couple more surrounded a group of scared Pokemon, who were tied up and mostly injured. A small distance away from the group of scared Pokemon were about twelve Rocket agents who were standing next to a Machamp and a Charizard.

"Brock, what should we do?" Cynthia asked quietly. Brock's looked at the ground, and spoke.

"We can't take them on. These are probably an elite group of Rockets. The best we can do is find Ash before he does something stupid and get some Rangers." Brock whispered gravely.

"But I've seen you battle! You're amazing, can't you take them on?" Cynthia whispered back. Brock shook his head.

"Cynthia, I might be able to take out the Houndoom, and if I'm lucky the Charizard, but the Machamp would tear apart my Pokemon. We don't have any choice but to escape. Trust me, it makes me as frustrated as you are." Brock said. Cynthia tried to come up with a response, but could only reluctantly nod her head. They were about to creep away before the Houndoom smelled them when a crackle of electricity struck the Machamp and Charizard, paralyzing them.

"That's Ash's Pikachu." Brock said angrily. "Looks like we have no choice. Onix, Earthquake toward the Houndoom." Onix flew out of its pokeball and crashed to the ground, sending tremors throughout the burnt buildings, simultaneously knocking every Houndoom to the ground. Onix used Earthquake a second time, and finished them off.

"Graveler, Geodude, Rock Throw." Brock ordered, pointing to the Houndoom by the captured Pokemon. Large clumps of land flew through the air, striking the Houndoom squarely. The captured Pokemon ran off the best they could in their injured state, leaving the unconscious dogs behind.

The Team Rocket Grunts ran to hide, their Pokemon having been the Zubat, Houndour, and Houndoom that had just been totaled, but a Rocket who was probably their leader stood tall. He ordered the Machamp and Charizard to do something. Within the blink of an eye, the Machamp flew at Geodude and hit it with Brick Break, sending it flying back to Brock. Brock returned Geodude.

The Charizard was stuck with paralysis while this was happening. Two Electroballs and an Electroweb hit it, making it roar in pain as Ash and his Pokemon attacked from the brush.

The Machamp was running to Graveler next, intending to do the same thing when it was suddenly hit with a Whirlwind attack. It grabbed a tree before it could be blown back into its Pokeball, only to be lashed with a Confusion. Soon Butterfree, who had performed the Whirlwind, and Machamp were playing a game of cat and mouse, with Butterfree using a combination Whirlwind/Confusion to keep it at bay, while Machamp tried to take it out with a single Thunder Punch.

"Brock, you take care of Charizard. I'll handle the Machamp." Ash yelled. The Rocket commander tried to order his Pokemon to switch people, only to have his head fly off. Pikachu zoomed back to Ash, its face covered in blood. Ash resisted the urge to gag, or to break down in the horror of what he had just ordered. If he hadn't had Pikachu attack the leader of these group of Rockets, he would've been able to command his Pokemon and possibly defeat them. Without guidance, Ash would be able to command his Pokemon effectively and possibly negate the obvious power advantage that the Charizard and Machamp had.

The Charizard started running toward where Ash was hiding, unleashing fire. Ash and the two Pokemon with him dived to the side, barely avoiding getting roasted. The Charizard was about to unleash a Fire Blast when a Stone Edge nailed it from behind.

"Onix, use another one!" Brock ordered upon seeing that the attack had only made Charizard angry. Onix complied, only for Charizard to swat the attack aside using Steel Wing. The Charizard flew toward Onix, only to fall to the ground from paralysis. Onix took advantage of this and instinctively used Double Edge, injuring Charizard some more. The Charizard grabbed Onix, outrageously trying to wrestle the rock snake into submission.

"Onix, Screech!" Brock shouted, knowing that up close Onix was screwed against the Charizard. Onix complied, whereupon the Charizard held its ears in agony. "Stone Edge Onix, and hit it until it's dead!"

"Wait Brock-" Cynthia started to say, when Brock interrupted her.

"Cynthia, you don't know how Rockets train their Pokemon. They'll fight to the death if they can." Brock said angrily as Onix smashed into the Charizard with Stone Edge until finally, its internal organs were exposed. Onix was about to dive in with Dig and finish the job when Charizard suddenly got up and hit it with Steel Wing. Onix only looked in shock as Charizard held its internal organs into its body with one claw, and knocked Onix back using a particularly powerful Slash with the other. Charizard glowed with red energy from its Blaze ability and started using Fire Blast over and over again. Graveler tried to dive in and help, only to be knocked away with a Fire Blast.

While this happened, Ash was busy throwing attack after attack at Machamp. Due to the paralysis the Pokemon suffered, Ash's Pokemon was barely able to avoid its attacks, and still only then due to Butterfree using the Whirlwind/Confusion combo still. Pikachu kept using Agility followed by Electroball to try to injure Machamp further, and Weedle was alternating between Poison Sting and Electroweb, but it still wasn't enough. He had to think of something fast.

"Yes!" Ash said, seeing the Machamp suddenly hit itself. "It's confused. Weedle, use String Shot. Butterfree, you too!" The Machamp suddenly found itself buried, unable to move. If it wasn't confused, it might have been able to break out of the silk it was buried in, even when accounting for paralyzed status. But for at least a few seconds, Ash had all the free hits in the world. Even still, the shaking in the silk was precarious, to say the least.

"Weedle, use Poison Sting. Don't stop until you drop." Ash ordered firmly, his chest seizing up in what he was ordering. He breathed in, and then out, and then in again, before looking to Butterfree, who had finished helping Weedle bury Machamp.

"Butterfree, I know you are tired, but can you please use a few more Confusions." Ash asked of the Pokemon. Butterfree nodded, before concentrating on the bundled mess, which now started to shake in pain. Weedle joined in as ordered, and eventually liquid started to drip out from the bundle. Some of it was Poison residue from the Poison Sting. Other liquid appeared to be blood. Ash breathed in and out again to calm himself before looking at Charizard fighting Onix still, a vision of a nightmare. Even though what looked like a stomach was on the ground beside Charizard, it was still burning Onix badly.

"Weedle, stop that. Use Electroweb on Charizard. Pikachu, stick your tail into the silk using Iron Tail, then Discharge as much as possible. These Pokemon won't stop unless they literally don't have organs to use." Ash said with finality. The two complied. The Charizard roared in pain from the Electroweb, distracting it long enough for the burnt Onix to slam into its chest with Iron Tail, crushing Charizard internally and finally bringing it down. Pikachu's tail went into the bundle of silk and started unleashing as much electricity as possible. Pikachu had to eventually stop from exhaustion, but the job had been done. The smell of roasted flesh emanated from the bundle.

"Is everyone okay?" Ash asked the three. They all responded tiredly, but not one was injured. Ash heard Bulbasaur yelling for him, and saw that it had managed to find all the injured Pokemon that had ran away and rallied them together.

"Ash!" Cynthia and Brock yelled, running over to them. Ash was about to talk when a fist slammed into his face, knocking him breathlessly to the ground

"What the FUCK were you thinking?" Brock roared. "Do you realize how dangerous that was?" All of Ash's Pokemon and the Bulbasaur gathered around him, ready to fight some more despite their exhaustion, while Brock's Onix and Graveler did the same.

"Stop it you two!" Cynthia shouted, getting between them. "Don't do anything hasty, Team Rocket was the enemy." Cynthia finished, this time softly. Her heart pounded for a few seconds while Ash and Brock stared at her, when Brock finally let his tension drop.

"Relax Graveler, Onix." Brock said quietly. The two rock Pokemon did just that, surprising Brock by dropping to the ground from exhaustion and burns that the Charizard had inflicted on them.

"Same." Ash said. His Pokemon too fell to the ground, tired from the extreme amount of moves he had had them execute. Ash was quiet for a second when he finally spoke.

"I had a plan to take out all of them. You were a happy surprise though." Ash said.

"And what was that?" Brock asked in a resigned tone.

"Paralyze the those two monsters, "Ash began, pointing to the burnt bundle of silk, flesh, and poison, as well as to the flying lizard with its chest caved in. "And then have Pikachu use Surf. It would take out all the Houndoom in those collection of buildings. Then Pikachu would decapitate as many Rockets as he could with Fly," Ash pointed to the dead Rocket, his head lying a few feet from his body. "And then I would have Weedle take on the two Houndoom guarding those injured Pokemon. Butterfree would use Supersonic on both Charizard and Machamp to delay their movements while Pikachu and Weedle did this. Then I would have Pikachu take on Charizard, and Weedle and Butterfree fight Machamp." Ash finished. "Again though, you were a happy surprise. My Pokemon probably would have gotten injured a lot from those two without you."

Cynthia looked at Ash in shock from him having come up with a strategy that quickly, while Brock could just look at his injured Pokemon and shake his head.

"And what if Charizard or Machamp overcame your Pokemon? Charizard alone nearly beat my Onix." Brock pointed out.

"I figured that if I couldn't beat them, I could stall them long enough for Bulbasaur to get back." Ash explained, pointing to Bulbasaur and his group of Pokemon he was guarding at the moment. "Then Bulbasaur could Leech Seed the two and I could stall them until the Leech Seed finished them off. "Brock only stood there for a second contemplating Ash's strategy, while Cynthia was still surprised at Ash pulling out the idea on the fly.

"How did you plan this so fast?" Cynthia asked him.

"You've been trained, haven't you Ash?" Brock guessed correctly. Ash paused for a second, and nodded.

"I was trained in battling and on how to lead in combat. Never did get around to learning how to train my Pokemon, but Cynthia has helped me with that." Ash said.

"Are you a gym brat?" Brock asked Ash as he pulled out several Potions and Burn Heals, spraying his Pokemon down as Ash merely fed his Pokemon. Ash instantly tensed up again, as if he was back in combat.

"Kind of. Please don't ask." Ash told him. Both Brock and Cynthia were curious at the statement, but decided to leave him alone.

* * *

A few hours later, after Ash sent Pikachu to the Cerulean City Pokemon Center using Fly to deliver a message, a contingent of Rangers arrived at the location. It was a bit of a harrowing experience explaining what had happened, to say the least. And like from Brock, Ash received a tongue lashing from the Ranger asking him what had happened.

"You could have died, your Pokemon could have died..." Ash had to listen to the Ranger for a few minutes before speaking again.

"I have no regrets. My Pokemon and I saved all those Pokemon." Ash interrupted, pointing to the group of Pokemon that were currently being fed by some Rangers.

"And that's the problem. What would your parents think if they heard you'd been involved in this kind of thing. Speaking of which, they will learn. I'm going to need their contact information." The Ranger demanded, not happy with being cut off by Ash.

"You can reach my mom at Pallet Town." Ash said calmly, writing down the number for the Ranger on a piece of paper that he had been given.

"And your father?" The Ranger asked. Ash sighed and stated the name of his father. The color drained out of the Ranger's face.

"But you have a different name than him." The Ranger pointed out.

"My mom changed my name and hers to her original last name." Ash explained. The Ranger just nodded and took out his pokegear to make a few calls.

Eventually Ash and his friends were done being questioned by the Pokemon Rangers, and were told they could go, with the warning that they may be expected to testify if any of the escaped Rockets were found in the forests.

"We sure lucked out." Ash said nonchalantly as they walked, finally admitting what was on his mind. Brock turned around, surprised.

"I thought you said you had this grandiose strategy?" Brock said, a little angry again. Ash shrugged.

"I did, but it was pretty complex. It could have fallen apart really easily." Ash said casually. Brock and Cynthia just stared at Ash until they both shook their heads and kept on walking after him. However, they all stopped again when they heard a Pokemon yelling. Running after them was the Bulbasaur from earlier.

"Hey Bulbasaur." Ash said, crouching down to stroke its bulb. "What are you doing here?"

"Bulba-bulb-saur-bulb-bulba." Bulbasaur answered, nudging a pokeball on Ash's belt. It was sucked in and captured without a fight. Ash suddenly raised his fist into the air.

"Yay, new friend!" Ash said victoriously. Brock and Cynthia sweat-dropped in reaction to this. They continued on their way, Cynthia finally leading the two using her navigational skills.


End file.
